


Before Tomorrow Comes

by mmoonlightss



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Extremely Slow Burn, F/M, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Funny, Haikyuu - Freeform, Humor, Inarizaki, Karasuno, Language, Love, Multi Chapter, Slow Burn, Volleyball, Volleyball Dorks & Nerds, Volleyball Dorks in Love, cursing, not actually Atsumu x reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmoonlightss/pseuds/mmoonlightss
Summary: "We Don't Need The Memories"Before tomorrow comes, she was determined to give it her all. She wouldn't regret a second of it.Fujimoto Mizuki had fallen in love with volleyball the moment she saw a match with her dad. From then on, she was determined to become the best libero the world had ever seen. Along the way she'd managed to befriend the Miya Brothers and together, they took the volleyball world by storm.But of course, a journey of growth is riddled with hardships, troubles, drama, and possibly love.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Original Character(s), Miya Atsumu/Original Female Character(s), Miya Atsumu/Reader
Comments: 18
Kudos: 42





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I don’t own anything other than the oc’s and the plot. Please do not copy and publish my work on any other website.
> 
> So I know that they have an accent/dialect, but I chose to not right in that style because it was challenging for me and hard to read. I hope that’s okay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not just the enemy that can push you beyond your limits.” - Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Haikyuu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: This story is fictional. All businesses, characters, names, dialogues, events, and places are strictly for fictional use. Any resemblance to actual people or events is accidental. I do not own the characters, only my OC's and the plot.
> 
> Please do not publish my work elsewhere.

“I wonder if they’ll let us do more spiking drills today?” Fourth grader Miya Osamu wondered aloud.

His identical twin, in all but eye color, Miya Atsumu, shook his head, “I’d rather do tosses. Setter is way cooler than spiker, Samu.” Osamu shook his head fervently and crossed his arms, “No way. Spiker is way better, Tsumu.” 

Volleyball lessons were the highlight of the Miya twins day. From that very first lesson, both had fallen in love with the sport, to the point where it consumed their thoughts everyday, Atsumu a little more so, though Osamu only thought that because Atsumu had a tendency to be a spacey dummy. Volleyball lessons were also where they met one of their lifelong friends, Ojiro Aran.

Atsumu’s chocolate brown eyes fixed a glare on his brother, but before he could say something Osamu’s grey eyes were fixated on another friend of theirs. “Look Tsumu! It’s Aran-kun.” 

Atsumu’s head swerved in the direction his brother pointed. True to his word, standing in the gym entrance, was the tall Aran kid they’d met just a few days ago. “Aran-kun!” The older boy sighed and gave a small wave, “Hey twins.” Aran lingered in the doorway for them to catch up.

“Aran-kun! Tell Samu that setter is way cooler than spiker.” Atsumu commanded. Osamy sighed at his brother but still turned to look at their older friend expectantly. Aran removed one hand from the pocket of his shorts and reached up to scratch the back of his neck, “Sorry Atsumu, setter is cool and all, but I want to be a spiker. So I’d have to go with Osamu on that one.” Atsumu gaped at his friend, overdramatic betrayal written all over his face. He couldn’t believe that someone as smart and cool as Aran could possibly side with Osamu. 

Before any more could be said, Masahiko-sensei called out with a loud voice, “Gather ‘round everybody! I’ll be explaining what we’re going to do today.” 

The three boys perked up and dutifully listened, taking a seat on the ground as Masahiko-sensei instructed. Masahiko towered over the grade school kids, but didn’t look the least bit intimidating with his kind smile and broccoli-like hair. “Today, we’ll be working on recieves again. All you have to do is partner up, and practice bumping the ball back and forth.”

A boy with reddish hair in the front left of the group groaned, “But Masahiko-sensei, I thought we’d do spiking drills again, those are so much more fun.” Aran and the Miya twins nodded, silently agreeing with the boy.

A little girl with ebony pigtails, sitting to the right of the boy, rolled her eyes, “You’re just saying that cuz you’re bad at it Hayato.” The boy, Hayato, scoffed, “Nu-huh. It’s just lame.” The girl shook her head, her long black hair moving with her. “If you can’t receive and get the ball up, you can’t even play the game. So that makes receiving a hundred times cooler.” 

Just as Hayato was going to retort, Masahiko chuckled and stepped in before it could escalate further. “Fujimoto-chan is right Suzuki-kun. Receiving allows the setters to toss and the spikers to spike. They’re not as flashy and cool looking as spikes, but they’re just as important to the game.” Noting the boy’s dejected look at being proved wrong, Masahiko added, “Don’t worry, we’ll also do spiking drills later.” Suzuki Hayato perked up at his words, and Masahiko couldn’t help but grin at his enthusiastic face.

Then Masahiko turned to the little girl. “You’re very passionate about practicing receives, Fujimoto-chan.” Fujimoto nodded with a serious face, but her eyes glimmered with intense excitement. “I want to be a libero!” The young girl exclaimed. Masahiko beamed at her, “Keep up the working on your receives and I’m sure you can be one of the best!” He encouraged. 

The small girl beamed up at her teacher with a wide toothy smile and glittering eyes, before trying to find a partner when the group was dismissed to start.

Atsumu watched the girl curiously.  _ Libero? _ Not many in the group wanted to be libero, and Atsumu silently agreed that it was the least cool position to be. He had to admit that even being spiker was better than that.

He watched the boy from earlier, Hayato, ask her something, only for her to shake her head and stubbornly turn around, not sparing hima glance. 

It was only then that Atsumu realized that he was supposed to be getting a partner to practice receives. He immediately spun around and his eyes landed on his twin. “Samu! Be my partner?” Osamu shook his head, “Sorry Tsumu. Aran-kun already asked.” 

Atsumu stared wide-eyed, gaping at his twin. Apparently being twins counted for nothing. It was supposed to mean automatic partners, but it seemed like Osamu wasn’t on the same wavelength he was. 

Atsumu swivelled his head around the room, trying to find anyone he knew to partner up with. Unfortunately all the other kids he was friendly with were already partner up. His shoulders sagged, and just as he was going to tell the teachers he had no partner, a random girl walked up to him

She stared shyly at him, “Do you want to be partners?” 

Seeing no other choice, Atsumu agreed, and he reluctantly started bumping the ball with her. He sighed as he watched the blue and yellow ball cruise through the air before hitting the girl's wrists and smoothly fly back towards him. “Maaan. I really wanted to practice tossing today. It’s so much more fun!”

His partner’s eyes narrowed, “You think receiving is lame too?”

Atsumu nodded, “Yup. Tossing is the absolute best. Spiking comes second, and receiving last.” She huffed, blowing her bangs from her silver eyes. “All boys are dumb. Receiving and being libero is the absolute best!” 

His eyes widened, “You’re the libero girl from earlier!” He exclaimed, pointing a finger at her. She nodded and bumped the ball back again. “Yeah. I’m Fujimoto Mizuki.” Atsumu smiled, “I’m Miya Atsumu!” 

Mizuki opened her mouth to continue the conversation when she was cut off by a sudden, “Watch out!” 

Instinctively, the Mizuki ducked and watched the ball sail past and hit the floor. A tall dark skinned foreign boy and an Atsumu look alike with grey eyes followed just after it. The taller one rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry. The ball got away from me.” 

Mizuki huffed and gave Atsumu a pointed look, “See! This is why receiving drills are important. Which makes them the best.” 

Atsumu rolled his eyes before tugging at his twin’s sleeve and pointing at her for a second time. Mizuki held in a huff, didn’t anyone teach this boy manners? Atsumu exclaimed, “Samu! Aran-kun! This is Zuki! She’s the girl from earlier who said she wants to be a libero.” 

Aran sighed, “Atsumu you can’t just go around calling people by their given names, much less a nickname.” Osamu nodded. “Yeah Tsumu!” He agreed, smacking his brother on the back of his nec. Aran had an inkling he only agreed just so he could irk his brother. Said brother was rubbing the back of his head, at the place Osamu hit. He was about to yell at his twin for his harsh treatment, but stopped when his brother’s words sunk in. Atsumu looked at his new friend. “Fine. I’ll ask her. Fujimoto-san, can I call you Zuki? That way we’re all matching! Aran, Samu, Tsumu, and Zuki.” He pointed to each of them as he called off their names with a proud smile on his face.

At his question the two newcomer’s looked at her expectantly, causing Mizuki’s face to turn pink. “I-uh-sure?” 

“Great! We’re friends now. You already know me so this is by brother Osamu and our friend Aran.” He pointed to both of them as he led the introduction, and both boys gave a friendly wave. 

“So why libero?” Osamu asked, “Setter’s even better than that.” Atsumu stiffened, “Oi!”

Mizuki scoffed, suddenly not too sure if she wanted to be friends with this bunch, “All you boys can’t think. I went to watch last year’s high school nationals with my dad, and libero shines the most on the court. It’s the best!” 

They'd gone to the game because her dad's high school friend had been the coach of Itachiyama Institute and invited him to come. Everyone at the game had been so focused on the powerful spikers and the skillful setters, but Mizuki had been enthralled by the guardian angel at the back of the court, who never let the ball drop. Point after point had only been possible because the players, especially the libero was able to get the ball back up. Not to mention, they had a uniform that was different from the rest of the team. How could you possibly stand out more than that?

Osamu smirked, “Well then, I’ll bet that you’ll never be able to dig any spike Aran and I send your way.” Aran startled, not expecting to be suddenly pulled into the argument. And he wasn’t the least bit surprised when Atsumu willingly threw himself into the fray. “Yeah! And I’ll send them the best tosses, so you’ll never be able to get them.” Atsumu declared. 

Mizuki puffed up. Challenge accepted. “Just wait and see! I’ll be the best libero in the world!”

And just like that, both a declaration of war and friendships were made.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First off, thank you for giving my story a chance. Second, I only watch the anime, and haven't read the manga, so I'm sorry if I get things wrong. 
> 
> This story will center around Mizuki's character, but worry not, the Miya Brothers are important to the story line. I was really inspired to write this story after watching the latest episodes of the Karasuno vs. Inarizaki match. It was mainly inspired by the Inarizaki banner "We don't need the memories." alone with the passion and skill of the Miya Brothers. 
> 
> Once again, thank you so much for reading this far! If you liked it, please leave a comment or like. I love to hear what you think so far. Thank you for giving me a chance. I hope you stick around for the story to come!


	2. 1. Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.” - Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Fifteen year old Fujimoto Mizuki beamed at herself in the mirror as she finished tying the maroon bow tie of the female Inarizaki uniform around her neck. She smoothed her outfit over once more, checking for any wrinkles. The female version of the Inarizaki High School uniform consisted of a tan blazer, red bowtie, white button up and socks, and black skirt and shoes. Her hair was pulled up into two braid pigtails, with only a few flyaways that she’d long since gave up on trying to tame. She nodded once, satisfied with her appearance, and it was just in time, as her phone rang not a second later. 

_Tsumu_ flashed across the screen. She grinned before answering, “Morning Tsumu.” When he answered, his voice was low, and so clearly sleep laden. “Morning Zuki. You done yet? Samu and I are waiting outside your house.” 

Mizuki grabbed her school bag and sports bag, both laying by the door of her room. “Yup. I’m heading out so hold your horses.” 

She abruptly hung up the call and made her way out of the silent house. As a single mother who worked as a nurse, Fujimoto Hayami, was always out of the house. She picked up numerous shifts, and it was rare for Mizuki to see her mother in any other state but exhaustion. Her Mizuki turned and strode out the door to join the Miya twins. 

Atsumu grumbled, “Finally.” 

Osamu delivered a swift jab to his side before greeting her, “Morning Zuki.”and Mizuki couldn’t help but grin at the sight of them. 

In middle school, Mizuki spent her time being a few inches taller than the Miya brother’s or at least at eye level. Unfortunately, puberty kicked in and they both towered over her, a few inches under six feet. And Mizuki wouldn’t be surprised if they grew a few more inches in their coming high school years.

Their hair was combed in the direction both of them preferred, (Osamu’s was to the left, and Atsumu’s was to the right) and were both in the male version of her uniform, the only difference being their black slacks and a long maroon tie. Though Atsumu’s tie was skewed, and Osamu wore his properly. They both had two bags with them, a school one and a sports one. 

Tryouts for Inarizaki’s male and female volleyball teams had been held on the afternoon of the first day of school about two weeks ago. And to their great relief and pride, all three made it. Though Mizuki wasn’t very surprised. She’d been awarded best female libero in middle school, and everyone knew what demons the Miya twins were on the court. Not to mention, Atsumu had been awarded best server in middle school too. 

“Say Zuki, didn’t you say the girl’s team already had a practice match comin’ up?” Osaka asked.

Mizuki nodded, “Yeah. It’s today after school against Ryōken Institute.” Atsumu scratched his chin, “They got to the Interhigh semi finals last year right? Before Inarizaki beat them?” 

She nodded, “Yeah, but apparently Inarizaki has a close relationship to them. Coach Endo told us yesterday it’s an annual thing they do at the start of the year to see us firsties in a real match.” 

“Like hazing?” Osamu asked. She chuckled, “I guess you can call it that? I don’t even know how much playing time us first years are gonna get. Not all our coaches are willing to toss out the third years in favor of us.” She said the last part with a teasing grin, so they knew there weren’t any hard feelings. 

Coach Kurosu had seen what the Miya twins could do in the middle school matches and after having played and won a practice match against their senpais, he proceeded to hand them both regular starting positions. 

Atsumu clenched his fist, “You better show them then that you're way better than whoever they have now!” Mizuki snorted, “Duh! As if I don’t already know that Tsumu. Just you wait! I’ll be a regular too!” There was a noticeable bounce in her step. Her excitement showing through. 

Atsumu scowled, “Shut yer trap! I was trying to be encouraging!” Osamu grunted, side eyeing his brother. It was way too early to be shouting that loud. Not to mention, they were starting to garner looks from the onlookers. 

Osamu gave him a steely glare, “Shut _yer_ trap Tsumu. It’s too early for all your shouting!” 

Atsumu turned his angry scowl onto his brother. “Whad’ya mean? Your shouting right now.” 

Unsurprisingly, this sparked a much larger argument as they walked through the school gates, and their loud voices garnered a lot of attention from their classmates. 

“It looks like the Miya twins are fighting again.” A voice sighed. 

“This early in the morning?” An incredulous voice responded. 

It amused Mizuki to see the reaction of others when they saw the Miya’s fighting for the first time. Usually, Osamu bore an indifferent and calm expression, unlike Atsumu’s smirking one. So most thought that he was the calm, cool, and collected type. But when provoked, which was easily done and usually done by Atsumu, he was just as loud, chaotic, and stupid as his twin. 

Along with these comments came the giggling and high pitched giggles and tittering of the Miya fan club. 

“Osamu-san is so cute.” One gushed. Another replied, “Definitely, but Atsumu is so much better.” 

A third let out a squeal, “Ah! Atsumu looked at me!” 

At that, Mizuki swiveled her head to stare down the blonde boy, who was indeed cheekily smirking and waving at his oh so adoring fans. Osamu was also waving and smiling at the gaggle of giggling girls, but with less enthusiastic flirting than his counterpart. 

Mizuki rolled her eyes, too used to their antics by now. After meeting them for the first time in the fourth grade, they’d become her closest friends. And she could admit as kids they were cute as kids and only grew more good looking as they grew up. They broadened, grew taller, and gained muscles over the years. So it was no surprise to her when they’re fan club only grew with them. From what she could remember, they were popular when they were small, but only really had a dedicated fan club when they started being recognized for their volleyball prowess. 

“There’s Fujimoto-san!”

“She’s so pretty!”

Though it’s not like she could talk since she had her own small following, though it was nowhere near the size of Osamu’s and Atsumu’s. 

Mizuki smiled and waved politely at them, but tried not to encourage them the way Atsumu did. 

“Quite the fan club you got Zumi.” Atsumu commented, eyeing a group of guys whose eyes were glued to Mizuki. She narrowed her eyes and delivered a swift jab to his side. He shrieked and she smirked, “It’s not like you can talk Tsumu.”

“Jealous?” He taunted. 

Mizuki rolled her eyes, “Hardly.”

“Mizuki!”

The trio turned to their left at the sound of her name and Mizuki grinned when she spotted Nakagawa Emiko, a very middle blocker. She was also the only first year to make it on the first team, as their was a need for another middle blocker and Emiko was skilled enough to fill that position. Her long dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and her light blue eyes were crinkled into a smile. “Are you heading to the club room?” She asked when she got closer. 

Mizuki nodded. The pair had met during try-outs, and instantly became friends. “Yeah I’m just going to drop off my bags. I was planning on napping a little before class though” She laughed a softly. Atsumu furrowed his brows, “Don’t ya have morning practice too?” Osamu rolled his eyes, “Don’t ya listen Tsumu? She has a practice match later today. That’s probably why there’s no morning practice.” 

Emiko looked at the two on both sides of Mizuki with a slightly awe-struck expression that she did her best to hide. Mizuki couldn’t help but laugh breathily at Emiko’s predicament, but was grateful the girl did her best to act normal around them. 

“I already dropped off my stuff but I’d be happy to tag along, if you don’t mind of course.” Emiko hastily offered. 

Mizuki grinned, “Feel free to. There’s always too much testosterone when it’s just me and dumb and dumber.” She jerked her thumb towards the twins, and quickly realized the boys were on the verge of fighting again. Mizuki was about to pull them apart when another voice.

The voice was flat and monotone, “Oi Miyas. Kita was wondering where you are. You’re late.” 

His brown hair was combed outward in the back and curled slightly upwards and a few hairs stuck up at the top of his head. His half lidded eyes were staring at the twins with absolutely no emotion, which usually deterred people, but Mizuki had learned by now that’s just how he was.

“Hey Suna.” Mizuki greeted with a small wave. Suna gave her a small nod, “Fujimoto.”

At his threat the two boys halted their bickering and Atsumu scratched the back of his neck, “Ah Sorry, we’ll be right there! Just let us change first.” 

Suna nodded, “Hurry up.Everyone’s waiting.” Then, Suna swiftly turned around and walked towards gym two as if nothing had even happened. 

Osamu cursed before turning to Mizuki and Emiko. “Sorry, but we gotta go. See ya Zuki! Nakagawa-san.” The pair waved goodbye before dashing off towards their club room to change. 

Emiko laughed and watched the dust fly. “Never a dull moment with those too eh?” Mixuki chuckled and agreed, “Dull definitely isn’t the word to describe them.” They shared one more laugh before Mizuki tugged Emiko along, “C’mon. There’s still enough time to see them get chewed out.” 

If there was a word to describe the Miya twins it was passionate. They did everything to their best ability whether it was to execute drills or to instigate their stupid competitions with each other. Even after getting scolded, they did their punishment diving laps with passion. 

Mizuki and Emiko poked their heads inside the gym in time to catch the end of the Miya’s scolding and the start of their punishment diving laps. She couldn’t help but laugh at the irritated expressions on their faces as they shot envious glances towards the others who were practicing jump serves and receives. 

While volleyball always got the most attention from the school populace, Coach Norimune kept their practices strictly closed, with the exception of the few times the girls team joined them. Though if they wanted to stay after to practice more, only then were viewers allowed. But there rarely were, since almost everyone had already gone home by that time. 

Mizuki’s silver eyes gleamed as she watched Aran jump. He took a deep breath and slammed his muscular arm forward, his hand hitting the ball, sending it flying over the net with great power. There was a booming sound that echoed through the gym as it clashed with the wooden floor. Their libero Akagi, had dove towards it in perfect form, but fell a few inches short. Unconsciously she licked her lips. She was itching to receive a spike of that magnitude. 

To be on the court and defy everyone’s expectations. When people see a powerful spike or serve, they tend to think _‘Wow. There’s no way they’ll be able to dig that one up.’_

And to Mizuki, those ones were the most thrilling to receive.

. . . 

“Got it!” 

Mizuki grinned as the ball hit her wrists and the ball sailed upwards in a perfect high arc towards the first year back-up setter, Matsuo Akane. “Nice receive.” She called out. 

With a smirk, Mizuki restarted herself, knees bent, chest forward, hands in front but not together, ready at a moment’s notice to dive towards the ball. They were tied, this was their chance for a break point, to turn the game in their favor. She was supposed to be scared, but she wasn't. There was an unconventional feeling of freedom of being on the court that set her blood on fire.

Akane tossed the ball high up into the air on left where their second year reserve, Shibata Nami came flying through, slamming it down, only for defense specialist #6 on the opposing team to dig it up. The receive was shaky and #6 stood back up shouting, “Sorry, cover!” 

Then their libero, #4, stepped forward and delivered a nice clean bump, smoothly sending it to their setter, who wore a forest green jersey with a #8. Mizuki grinned and planted her feet, a concentrated smirk on her lips, as she watched their outside hitter and wing spiker, #10, begin their running approach.

The match with Ryōken had lasted longer than Mizuki had expected. The first set was one by Inarizaki 25:23, but the hounds had taken the second set back, ending the second rally at 25:27. They were well on their way into the third set, the score 23:21, and Mizuki had a feeling it wasn’t going to last much longer. 

Ishida Noriko, the second year reserve wing spiker dove after the ball that was sent flying her way. Ryōken’s team readied themselves as the ball flew back over the net. “Chance ball!” 

For Mizuki, nothing was louder than the pounding of her own heart. It was beating quickly with adrenaline and excitement, but its loud pounding always steadied her, made her more aware. Mizuki took in a deep breath and exhaled, her eyes scanning their opponents. She watched their libero neatly return the ball to the setter who once sent it to their left spiker, #9. She spiked, but the powerful hit was softened by the tips of Nami’s and second year Suzuki Himari’s (she was on the first team and was only playing to fill all the position) fingers. “One touch!” 

Kita cocked his head to the side as he watched Atsumu and Osamu scramble towards the door as soon as they finished up practice. “Where are you two going?” Aran, who had been setting up a water bottle for his jump serve practice also paused, “Yeah you two are both #1 at over practicing.” Osamu scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “Mizuki’s having her first practice match today, and we wanted to watch.” 

“Practice match?” Ginjima asked with furrowed brows. Practice matches weren’t uncommon, but it was surprising for them to be held so early into the year. Onishi Eito, the current captain of Inarizaki, nodded, “Ah. The girl’s team usually holds one this early, because Coach Endo wants to see the reserve team and firsties against actual opponents. Ryōken Institute, the one they’re playing is almost always their opponent, and they also use a team full of reserve members and firsties.” 

Ginjima nodded, understanding dawning on his face. 

Atsumu nodded, shoving his feet into his outdoor shoes. “Mhm. And we’ll be back, but we just want to watch the game first. See ya!” With a playful salute, Atsumu and his brother were out the door before anyone could have the chance to hold them back. 

Osamu sprinted ahead of his brother, “C’mon Tsumu, or else it’ll be over before we get there.” 

Atsumu quickened his pace until his strides matched his twin’s. “Shut yer face trap Samu!” He growled. 

From the sounds of squeaking gym shoes and the thud of the ball against the floor or arms, Atsumu guessed the game was still on. Osamu quickly stepped inside and his eyes quickly found the scoreboard, 22:21- Inarizaki. The game was still going on, but already into the third set. Atsumu threw his head back and covered his face with his hands, “Crap! We got here late.” Osamu pursed his lips and tugged on his brother. He was also disappointed they would only get to see the last of the match. “C’mon let's just get to the second floor and watch what’s left.” 

While practice was up to the discretion of the coach, practice matches were fair game for viewers to come and go, and here were a good handful of people watching the game. And they got in just in time to see second year reserve opposite hitter and wing spiker Chiba Reiko, spike the ball only for Ryōken to dig it up. The ball tipped over the net, dropping up front. Emiko dove for the ball only to come up short, and when the whistle blew, the score was now 22-22.

“Hey look Samu! Zuki’s back on!” Atsumu exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the short girl dressed in maroon. The girl’s volleyball team usually wore white jerseys with maroon shorts and accents, but as libero, Mizuki wore a maroon jersey and shorts, boasting the number 8 on them. 

Both boys grunted, eyes glinting, excited to see their friend in action. Akane did her serve, sending the ball flying over. #10 dug it up, returning it to the setter who sent it to the center, going for an A quick. 

Mizuki’s eyes glinted and she darted forward, “Got it!”

  
“Nice receive.” Akane called out. And as if to rub salt into the wound. Akane sent it to the center for Himari to spike it down, making the score 23-21, Inarizaki. 

Atsumu laughed, “That sure was gutsy.” Osamu nodded, “It was, but I’m sure it only got Ryōken even more fired up.” Atsumu eyed the opponent in forest green, noting their grim faces but burning eyes. They were determined to steal back that point, but he knew it was hopeless. There was no way Mizuki would ever let it happen.

The ball flew over the net multiple times before their #9 spiker to do a wipe against Nami and Himari. “One touch!” The ball was sent flying backwards, and Atsumu felt like he was seeing it in slow-mo. Everyone turned back, with wide eyes and clenched teeth. Since it was a wipe, it sailed high and far, and it was heading right out of the lines. 

A group of guys near them gaped. “There’s no way they’re getting that.” 

Osamu couldn’t help but smirk, Atsumu gritted his teeth. And right before the ball hit the ground, as if in slow-mo, Mizuki’s foot slid under the ball. The small girl slid backward and her leg went up, and the ball along with it. “Connect!”

Gasps were heard around the room, and Atsumu couldn’t help but smirk. 

Emiko received and passed it neatly to Akane who in turn set the ball to Reiko who slammed it down onto their court. 

From the second floor, Atsumu laughed and Osamu shook his head. “They don’t call her the guardian angel for nothin’.”

Down on the court, Mizuki grinned. They wouldn’t be losing this match. 

One rally later, Inarizaki won the practice match 25:22.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter one!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought in the comments, or by leaving a like. I enjoy reading them, and will take the time to reply to everyone, so please don't be shy. 
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you stick around!


	3. Good Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Good company is important, it helps to cultivate good qualities.” - Sathya Sai Baba

Mizuki hummed to herself as she changed into regular clothes after a long and trying practice. After going on their morning run, they mostly worked on serves and receiving. Her arms were aching, and she was sure it was going to bruise, but they were proof of her efforts. 

Efforts that she hoped wouldn’t go unnoticed. Just before practice ended, Coach Endo reminded them that golden week was coming up. So in the coming week they would be doing a lot of resistance training, drills, and practice matches, in preparation for the Inter High Tournament. But she wasn’t a regular. There was no way she would get a substantial amount of time on the court to prepare her to face real high school volleyball players with more experience and skill than her.

With a sigh, she laced up her shoes.

Akane strolled up to her, “Hey Mizuki, you ready to go?” Since both of them were in the same class, they had gotten into the habit of walking together after morning practice. Mizuki hoisted her bag onto her shoulder as she stood, “Yup. By the way, did you understand the algebra homework last night?’ 

Her bob cut hair moved with her as she grimaced, “Eh, not really no.” Mizuki snorted, “You totally nodded off during class didn’t you?” 

“Possibly.” 

Mizuki’s shoulders shook with laughter. Akane was a talented athlete, but definitely not the most studious one. Everytime Mizuki turned in her seat, she caught a glimpse of Akane doing anything but paying attention to the lesson. 

“Fuji!” 

At the sound of her newest nickname, Mizuki turned to see their captain, Oshiro Yua, in her school uniform along with their starting second year libero, Yamasaki Hana, standing behind her. Mizuki blinked. She still wasn’t used to how pretty the third year wing spiker was. “Yes Oshiro-san?” 

Yua smiled at her, “You did good today. I haven’t seen anyone keep up with Mariko during our run.” The captain let out a low whistle, and Mizuki felt her cheeks turn red. Mariko was the third year Ace and vice-captain, and also the fastest runner on the team, but Mizuki liked to think she was a close second. Hana nodded in agreement, “Not to mention, your receives are pretty amazing Fuji.” 

Her eyes widened. Mizuki threw herself into a bow, “Thank you!”

Yua rubbed her neck and laughed a little breathlessly, “Ah, you’re welcome. Now you guys best go. I’d hate for you to be late for class.” 

With one more shout of thanks, Mizuki managed to pry her feet from the ground and follow Akane to their classroom. Akane’s hands were stuffed in her pocket and her shoulders were slightly hunched over. Whilst on the court, Mizuki had observed Akane to be the calculating type, but off of it, she turned into a lazy sloth. “Now that they mention it, you are a really fast runner Mizuki. Do you run a lot?” 

“Yeah. I didn’t always enjoy running but Tsumu and Samu always managed to rope me into it. And I don’t have the best sense of direction so I had to keep up with them so I didn’t get lost.” She admitted.

Akane cocked her head to the side, “Tsumu? Samu? The Miya twins right? The genius players everyone’s raving about?” Mizuki laughed softly, “Yeah that’s them. We grew up together, met at volleyball lessons actually.” 

The door to Class 1-2 slid open smoothly, and the soft chatter of sleepy students filled her ears. Akane headed for her seat in the back and Mizuki waved to the few who had become acquaintances in the short amount of time she’d been here, before taking her seat behind Suna, in the row closest to the windows. 

He was staring intently on his phone, his thumbs glued to the small screen, probably playing some game. “Morning Suna.” Her voice was soft, and for a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her. The middle blocker turned slowly, “Morning Fuji.” 

Suns wasn’t really the socializing type, but he did enjoy Mizuki’s presence. At first he thought it would be Osamu all over again, seemingly quiet and stoic, but was actually a loud idiot. But Mizuki was actually a quiet and thoughtful person. So he didn’t mind being around her. Not to mention she seemed to be the only one capable of wrangling the chaotic duo called the Miya brothers.

Mizuki smiled at him. “How’d morning practice go?” 

Suna momentarily looked up from his phone and a single brow twitched, “You need to tell dumb and dumber not to be so loud in the mornings. They’re troublesome” Mizuki snorted. Geniuses, Akane called them. On the court? Yeah. But off of it? She couldn’t help but agree with Suna’s description of the twins. “I’ll try. But no promises.” 

He nodded, “Thanks.” 

. . .

“So I hear you two were troublesome this morning.” Mizuki casually strolled up to Atsumu and Osamu who were exiting Class 1-1 for lunch. Not to her surprise, Atsumu’s tie was skewed. Osamu’s was neat, but he had taken off the tan blaze, exposing the grey vest that lay underneath. Atsumu furrowed his brows, “What’d you mean?” She shrugged, “Suna told me to ask you guys not to shout so much in the mornings.”

Osamu grunted, “Tch. Tell that to Tsumu. He was making a racket trying to keep up with me on our morning runs.” Atsumu’s face turned red and he whirled on his brother, “Lies! I didn’t even have to try to keep up with you.” 

Mizuki sighed. Dumb and dumber indeed. 

“Can we go to the cafeteria? I’m starving.” 

The two paused mid-argument. Osamu nodded. He took a step back and shoved his hands in his pocket, “Sure.” Atsumu shot his brother one last glare before falling in step with Mizuki, who was all too eager to get her food.

Once they were in the cafeteria, Osamu agreed to grab his brother’s food too and save him a seat, while Atsumu grabbed them some drinks from the vending machine.

Mizuki ignored the looks Aran was shooting at her and her filled plate of food. “Itadakimasu!” She dug in happily, but slowly, careful not to make a mess or eat like a savage. Her cheeks puffed with fullness, and she felt her energy bar go up. Across from her, Osamu chuckled, “You eat well.” Next to him, Kita nodded in agreement. She shot them a smile since her mouth was rather occupied. 

“Here’s your drink.” 

Atsumu appeared from behind her holding two banana milk and a strawberry one for her. “Thanks Tsumu.”

Since school started, Mizuki hadn’t sat at the same table for a week straight. Sometimes she sat with Akane and Emiko outside, under the shade of a sakura tree. Though, most of the time, she sat with some members of the boys volleyball team, so that she could eat with Aran, Atsumu, and Osamu. Her usually quiet personality, turned shy when she met the second years and Suna, but they eventually grew on her.

Next to her, Suna muttered, “How is it that you eat so much but don’t get taller?” Ginjima coughed to cover his burst of laughter. Mizuki pouted, “Not fair Suna! S’not my fault I burn it all off. Also not all of us can be giants like you guys!”

“Tch.”

Her pout turned into a glare. 

Right at that moment, that seemed too perfect to be coincidental, Osamu held out the wishbone of his chicken, offering the other half to her so they could break it. “Here maybe this will help.” Unable to contain themselves, the table burst into laughter. Her head made a soft ‘thump’ against the table. “I hate you all.” Her voice was muffled, but they heard her clearly enough and the laughter didn’t stop.

She silently vowed to find a way to get back at Osamu. It was fairly easy too. As soon as her own resistance training-filled practice was over, she headed to gym one where she knew she would find both the setter and spiker brothers.

“Oh Mizuki! Are you joining us?” Aran called out. 

Mizuki grinned and slipped on her gym shoes, “Definitely.”

“Hm. We have enough for a three on three now.” Osamu commented. 

The only ones who stayed behind were Atsumu, Osamu, Aran, Omimi, and Kita. Six in total. They ended up splitting the brothers up since Osamu was the only other one here who had experience setting, besides Atsumu of course. 

Mizuki smirked at the Omimi, Kita, and Osamu on the other side of the net. Osamu stared at her,“Get ready to lose Zuki.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Bring it Samu.” 

Atsumu was up first to serve, and he started it off with a powerful spike, yelling, “Oi. Don’t forget about me too Samu!” He sent to ball flying and Kita struggled to dig. It flew back words and Omimi fell short, trying to follow through. Kita grunted, “Sorry.” Osamu shook his head, “Don’t mind.” 

Atsumu’s next serve was dug up and Omimi was making his approach to the net. Osamu tossed him the ball. Atsumu went up for the block with Aran by his side. Mizuki eyed the slight widening of Omimi’s eyes and the sudden shift in his right arm. 

_ Feint _ . She darted forward, diving after it. 

The ball sailed smoothly to Atsumu, “Nice receive.” As Mizuki reset herself, Aran scored them another point that had Osamu gritting his teeth. Osamu hated losing, and he hated losing to his brother more. The best way to piss him off would be to ensure that Atsumu’s team won.

She was lucky it even turned out like this. Her original plan was stick around while Atsumu and Osamu practiced their attacks, and dig up every ball she could, but this was way better. Though, since she also hated losing, her main intent was to win the game, but ticking off Osamu was a much appreciated perk.

In the last rally, Omimi managed to dig up Aran’s serve, and Kita followed through, giving a high ball for Osamu to spike. As he jumped, Mizuki eyed his form. She dove towards the line, and just as she predicted, Osamu hit a perfect line shot that was sent right back to Atsumu. He in turn, tossed to Aran, who slammed it down. 

Osamu glared as their team won the 3 on 3. 

It certainly didn’t help that Atsumu was the type to rub it in his brother’s face. “Ha! Take that Samu!”

“Shut yer trap!” 

After cleaning up the gym, Omimi was the first one done changing, followed by Aran and Kita. She waved them goodbye, waiting for her boys. Surprisingly, Atsumu was done first. 

“You totally did that on purpose.” His voice was close to her ear as he lowered himself to sit with her, on the front steps of the gym. Mizuki hummed, her eyes glinting mischievously, “How’d you notice?” He chuckled, “You digging up practically every ball isn’t a surprise, but you seemed more intense about it than usual for a regular 3 on 3. Not to mention, everytime Samu would spike the ball, I could see that you tried even harder to dig it up.” 

Mizuki shrugged, “I was feeling petty after his comment during lunch today.” He snorted, “Why am I not surprised.” 

After a beat of silence, Mizuki said, “Golden week is coming up.”

“What about it?” 

She pulled her knees closer to her chest. “I dunno, it’s just that right after golden week, it’s Interhigh. But I don’t think I’ll get much playing time this year.”

Atsumu pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He and Osamu had gotten lucky. The third year setter was put aside, and they were in need of another spiker, which is where Osamu came in. But he knew that wasn’t the case with Mizuki. They had a second year libero that was talented and would even be around for another year. 

“Show them you’re better. Use every opportunity given to show them that you deserve to be on the first team.” 

Mizuki tilted her head to look him in the eye. Even sitting, he was a few inches taller than her. Her lips twitched into a smile, “Thanks Tsumu.” 

In reality, she already knew that. But it was nice hearing his encouraging words that would sound harsh to anyone who didn’t know him. To others, it might have come across as cocky, a gifted and lucky first year setter demanding that shedo better. But in reality, Atsumu knew what she was going through better than anyone else. In middle school, Osamu had been picked to play setter, much to Atsumu’s annoyance, but that only motivated him to push himself harder until he was eventually made setter. She remembered all the times he stayed after practice to develop his tosses and serves. Heck, she had even gotten roped into hitting a few of his tosses at one point. He knew better than anyone what it meant to push yourself and grab hold of every opportunity that presented itself. 

He shrugged, “You’re a good libero Zuki-chan. They just don’t know it yet.” 

“You’re biased.” 

He rolled his eyes, “I’m tryin’ to be encouraging here.” 

“Whatever he said, you're better off without it Zuki. Tsumu sucks at encouragement.” Osamu’s blunt tone came from behind them. He was changed with his own bag over his shoulder, and one hand shoved in his pocket. Atsumu scoffed, “Tch. You’re just a sore loser cuz you were getting dug up all over the place.” 

Osamu’s indifferent eyes hardened into a steely glare, “Was not.” 

“Was too.” 

Mizuki laughed, “As fun as this is, can we get going. I still have homework to do.” Both boys visibly deflated at that, making her laugh harder. The two of them were amazing athletes, but they weren't the best students. Osamu was slightly more studious but that wasn’t saying much. 

“Right, homework.” Osamu scrubbed at his face, a wrinkle forming in his brow. 

“How about this, Samu? I help you study, and you make me food.” She offered. His shoulders drooped and he grinned, “Thanks Zuki.” 

“Hey what about me!”

She rolled her eyes and patted his arm, also while taking the first steps towards their houses. “I’ll help you too, but you have to make it up to me someday. Like a favor or something.” 

Atsumu cheered, and then fell into step with her on the right and Osamu on the left. 

“Wait. Samu, did you lock up?” 

“... be right back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. As always, please let me know what you think of it so far by leaving a comment or liking it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you stick around. 
> 
> love,  
> mmoonlightss


	4. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If there were a little more silence, if we all kept quiet...maybe we could understand something.” - Federico Fellini

Mizuki froze in her footsteps when she saw her mom step through the doorway. Her hair was slightly messy and her eyes were cloudy, and her outfit was wrinkled in some places. 

“Kaa-san… you’re home.”

It was rare for Mizuki to see her mom during the day. She worked long night shifts at the hospital, came home in the early morning, and usually stayed asleep the whole day, only waking up to eat and repeat the cycle over again. 

Mizuki’s eyes drifted downward and landed on the full groceries bags in her mom’s wrinkled hands. Immediately she took the bags and started putting the groceries away while her mom got settled in their home. 

“Kaa-san, I could’ve gone grocery shopping, if you’d told me.” Hayami shook her head, “It’s okay. Plus it’s nice to get out of the house and do something other than commuting to and from the hospital.” Then Hayami took note of Mizuki’s black athletic sweats and dark purple hoodie. “Where are you heading off to so early in the morning?” 

Mizuki put the milk in the fridge and shut the door. “Just going on a run before it gets too hot later in the day.” 

Hayami nodded, “Okay. I’m sorry i can’t be around too often, but how’d your practice match go? I can try to make the next one.” She offered. Mizuki was tempted to take her up on it, but as she looked at her mother, all she saw was dark eyes and limp hair. Mizuki shook her head, “It’s okay Kaa-san. You need to sleep more. You look tired.”

Hayami sighed, leaning against the wall for support. “You’re right. I’m going to head on up to bed, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to wake me up, okay? Oh and bring in the mail before you go?” 

Mizuki quickly agreed, and left the quiet house. Growing up, Mizuki was usually left in the care of her father, Fujimoto Hitomu, who used to teach at a university in Japan. His profession allowed him to be home just a smidge more often than Hayami who had thrown herself back into her job as soon as the doctor had given her the all-clear sign after Mizuki was born.

It was common for Hayami to work late night shifts, but soon the hours not only took a toll on her own body, but on her family too. Her parents grew distant, and eventually the gap grew into a chasm that neither wanted to even attempt to cross. The worst part was that they weren’t even arguing to try and fix their problems, there was no arguing, just cold silence. She hated silence.

She grabbed the small stack of mail from the mailbox that sat in front of their house, sifting through for anything with her name on it. It was mostly bills and advertisements, but there was a small white envelope with her name on it, along with a familiar address from the US. She threw the letter in her room before her mom could see it and ran out of the house.

Mizuki had been ten when her dad left. He’d moved to the States, teaching at a prestigious university there, last she heard. She got letters, postcards, and calls, every so often, but she always had to work up the courage to read them. And she was always left all out of sorts afterwards. No amount of writing could fix what had been broken. It would never be the same as before. The house had gotten too quiet with just her and her mom. 

Music filled her ears as she took step after step. She took the same jogging route every time, so by now, her body was practically moving on muscle memory. The beautiful scenery was just enough to distract her from the inner turmoil that threatened to burst the dam, she so carefully built. And before she knew it, she was back in her neighborhood, a block away from her house, right outside the Miya home.

“Oh? Hey Zuki!” Atsumu called out as he stepped outside. His brown hair was still messy and his clothes were still wrinkled, and in one hand he was clutching a large black plastic bag. 

Mizuki halted and pulled her earbuds out, effectively cutting off the music. “Oh, morning Tsumu. What are you doing?” He gestured to the plastic bag, “Throwing out the trash.You going on a run?’

She shook her head, “I’m about to finish it.” 

Atsumu grinned. He tossed the trash in the metal bins before strolling over to her, “Why don’t you end it a little early and join us for breakfast?” 

Mizuki shook her head, her ponytail swaying with her, “I couldn’t.” 

The image of the white envelope flashed in her head, reminding her what awaited her at home.

Ever the persistent one, Atsumu scoffed and grabbed hold of her wrist to pull her inside, “C’mon. We both know Haha would be happy to see you. It’s been awhile since you last came over.” 

True to his words, the Miya matriarch, Miya Natsuki, was so happy to see her that she immediately guided her into a seat around their table, and placed a plate of food in front of her. She was thankful that she at least managed to shoot her mom a text saying she would be staying at Miya-san’s house, even though she knew her mom wouldn’t see it.

Osamu blinked in surprise at seeing her suddenly take a seat in front of him. She offered him a kind smile which was returned with a mumbled, “Good morning.” Atsumu took a seat next to Mizuki, while Natsuki sat next to Osamu. While the head of the table was left empty.

“So Mizuki, what brought you over? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, tell me everything.” Natsuki was so genuine, that Mizuki couldn’t help but enthusiastically divulge everything that had been going on in her life right now. 

It brought a familiar comfort to Mizuki. While the Miya patriarch had already left for work, Natsuki was a stay at home mom, who always made sure Mizuki felt welcomed when she came over. 

“Ah yes, you have Golden Week coming up right? That’s all these boys talk about nowadays.” Natsuki shot her boys a look, who in turned looked sheepish. 

Mizuki grinned, “Yeah. It’s starting soon, and then we have Inter High, so I’m really looking forward to it.” Natsuki nodded, ‘Well best of luck to you then. I know you’ll do great.” A warm feeling fell over her when Natsuki smiled and encouraged her, it was a feeling that she associated with the Miya home, that was the complete opposite of hers. 

Natsuki stood from the now empty table. “Now why don’t you and Atsumu go hang out. Osamu can join you once he helps me clean the table.” Said brother gaped, “Wait! How come-” His mother cut him off with a commanding stare, “I already had your brother do chores for me this morning. Now it’s your turn.” 

Atsumu stuck his tongue out at his brother before tugging Mizuki to his and Osamu’s room. “Let’s play Madden!” Mizuki sat on the soft black covers of Osamu’s bottom bunk. “But I’m terrible at that game.” Mizuki whined. Atsumu was busying himself at the TV, making sure everything was plugged in and started rifling through the box of games they had. “It’s not my fault you're a scrub at video games, but fine, we can play Mario Kart.” Mizuki cheered, it was her favorite game and the one she was best at. 

They were picking their characters when Osamu came in, picking up a controller and taking a seat next to Mizuki on his bed. Atsumu sat on the floor, his head near her outer left thigh. “Oh Samu! Just in time.” Mizuki clicked back to change it to three players, and picked toad and toadette to be her characters. 

“Crap! Zuki!”

She giggled as her characters dashed past Atsumu’s baby bowser and baby kong, who were hit by her shell. Now in second place, all she had to do was to get past Osamu’s Koopa Troopers, who were right in front of her.

She groaned as she got a green shell that hit an object that definitely wasn’t Osamu’s team before shattering. By the end of the track, she finished in second, with Atsumu in first and Osamu in third because somewhere along the way Osamu had fallen off the road, and Atsumu managed to bypass both of them during that time.

“Take that you scrub!” 

Mizuki smacked the back of his head. Atsumu grunted and fixed her with a glare. Mizuki matched it with her own, “Rematch.”

After playing two more races, and Mizuki winning both of them, she decided to tap out and the boys switched the game to Madden. Mizuki laid on her stomach, her feet swinging in the air, and since Atsumu was sitting on the ground, it allowed her small hands to play with his hair.

Secretly, she’d always favored Atsumu’s rich brown hair to Osamu’s dark brown with an underlying grey tint to it. But one thing they had in common was that both of them had hair that was soft to the touch. Atsumu hummed at the pleasant feeling. Osamu stole a glance at his brother, “Falling asleep Tsumu? Don’t make it even easier for me to kick your ass.” 

Atsumu scoffed, “You wish you scrub.” 

Mizuki watched them play, absentmindedly tying Atsumu’s hair to form a small sprout. “Y’know Samu and I were thinking about dying our hair.” Atsumu said offhandedly. Her mouth dropped open and she accidentally tugged on his hair. “Ack! Zuki!” She winced and patted his hair, “Sorry Tsumu. You just surprised me. Why?”

“On the court, we noticed that a lot of people have a hard time telling us apart. We’re too far for anyone to distinguish our eye color and apparently under the lights it’s hard to see the slight difference in our hair colors.” Osamu explained,

“But you guys play two completely different positions?”

Osamu shrugged, “We heard people were kinda confused when we had our practice match a couple days ago.” 

Mizuki looked at Osamu!s side profile, his gaze fixated on the screen. She tried to imagine him with red or blue hair, and ended up giggling to herself. Atsumu chuckled, “Oi, what’re you laughing about?”

She shook her head to get the image out of her mind, “Nothing. But if you guys want, I can dye your hair today.” 

“Do you even know how to?” Osamu’s tone was wary.

Mizuki shoved his arm, “Yes I know how too. I learned over the last summer when we went to visit my cousins in Miyagi. My older cousin, Ayumi asked me to help her when she was bleaching her hair to make it a light brown. So what’d ya say?”

A trip to the pharmacy and one hour later, Miya and Atsumu found themselves in the bathroom, Natsuki nearly had a heart attack when they told her what they were doing, but reluctantly agreed to it in the end.. Atsumu opted to go first, and Osamu after. Mizuki touched his rich brown hair one more time. “I’m going to miss your hair.” Atsumu chuckled, “I’m not shaving it all off. My hair isn’t going anywhere.” 

Mizuki rolled her eyes and gently pushed the back of his head. “You know that’s not what I mean, smartass.” He gave her a wide smile that crinkled his eyes, and Mizuki set to work. Atsumu rambled about random things, with Mizuki throwing in her input every now and again, she silently huffed as he raved about the annoying fangirls in his class that were always too loud. 

“I can’t pay attention because they’re always giggling or whispering, even when we’re on break!” He whined. 

Mizuki snorted, “One, we both know you don’t pay attention in class. Two, it’s your fault for always encouraging them.” 

Atsumu pouted, “Why can’t you just take my side. Plus, if they were really my fans they’d know that I actually enjoy silence.” It was true. During middle school, Atsumu always had a hard time serving when it was too loud, so the middle school cheering team adjusted, staying quiet when he served. It was ironic to think, that someone with a loud personality like Atsumu, preferred silence over noise.

“Oi Zuki, smile.” 

She looked up from her hands, which were carefully wrapping Atsumu’s bleach filled air with foil. “Why?” He sighed, “Cuz I’m trying to take a picture.” That was when she noticed the phone in his hand. It had a clear phone case with cloud designs on it, and the silver phone peeked through. “You realize that’s my phone right?” 

“Just smile Zuki.” 

She laughed softly before doing as told. Atsumu clicked the small white circle three times, before letting her resume her task, watching her through the mirror.

“Something’s wrong.” 

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, “Your hair isn’t smoking, and I know I did it right. What could possibly be wrong?” 

Atsumu shook his head. “You’re quieter than usual today. What’s wrong?” 

Contrary to Suna’s belief, Atsumu wasn’t stupid. He noticed the moment she stepped inside his house. Her eyes were dimmer and her shoulder sagged. She still smiled and joked, but her overall bright attitude was somehow muted. His belief was cemented when Osamu also pointed out, unprompted, that he’d noticed the same thing.

Still, she tried to deny it. “Nothing’s wrong Tsumu. I-” 

“Osamu and I both noticed Zuki.” He held her silver gaze through the mirror, daring her to protest further. She broke away first. “I got another letter from my dad this morning.” 

He inhaled sharply. “What’d it say?” He experienced first hand that Mizuki was never okay after reading those letters. She shrugged, “I haven’t read it yet.” It wasn’t that she cried over the contents of her dad’s letters, but what they represented. It was physical proof that his life was going on perfectly fine without them. She cried over what had been and what would never be. 

She pursed her lips, and changed the subject. “Okay, your hair is done, and the dye should’ve settled in. Go wash up.”

Atsumu watched her with his calculating gaze, but allowed her to avoid the subject. He left the room and let Osamu take his place, exchanging a silent look and a small nod with his brother. As if he had been gifted with foresight, Osamu entered the bathroom with two sticks of dango on a platter.

Mizuki instantly perked up at the sight of the sweet snack. She had a sweet tooth that Osamu was always willing to indulge. And it certainly didn’t hurt that he was an amazing cook too. “Did you make these?” She asked as she gladly took one.

Osamu nodded, “Yeah, I’m still learning though, so sorry if it tastes like crap.” She shook her head, “It tastes good Samu!” He smiled appreciatively, knowing that Mizuki was never the type to say something just to spare his feelings. 

Mizuki quickly finished one stick, and left the other one for later, getting to work on Osamu’s hair. 

“Yer hair looks like piss Tsumu.” 

Atsumu steamed and Osamu’s blunt statement, “Shut yer trap Samu you look like an old man with yer gray hair.” 

Mizuki stifled her laugh as she recorded the whole scene. She had already guessed beforehand that them finally unveiling their hair colors with each other would result in bickering.

“You look like a dog took a piss on yer head!” 

“Yer hair looks like a rock!” 

In actuality, Mizuki didn’t think either of their hair colors looked like what the other was comparing it too. Osamu’s was a lovely shade of grey that matched his eyes, while Atsumu’s was a pretty shade of gold. Both boys had an undercut, but decided to not dye that part, so the sides of their head were still brown.

Atsumu turned to her, still riled up from Osamu’s taunts. “Zuki! Whose hair looks better?” 

Mizuki paused her recording and held her hands up, “Don’t get me caught up in this. But I have a feeling your fangirls will have a lot to say about it when we get to school.” Apparently her words added fuel to the fire, and they started bickering even more about whose hair the girls would like better. 

With a roll of her eyes, Mizuki said goodbye to the Miya matriarch and moved on to say goodbye to the boys who managed to settle down on their own. “You’re leaving?” Osamu asked.

Mizuki nodded, “Yeah, plus I still have a bit of studying to do.” She gave both boys a pointed look which they pretended not to see. With a laugh, she said goodbye, and turned to leave, only to have Atsumu’s hand stop her in her tracks. His larger hand wrapped all the way around her wrist. 

She turned back to face them, catching the glance the Miya brother’s shared. One look was all it took for the other to understand what they were saying. “You can always call us if you need to kay? Like on homework or something.” Osamu offered. Mizuki’s lips twitched into a soft smile. She had an inkling that he were mostly referring to the ‘or something’ part of his statement.  
  
“I will. Goodbye.” She waved at them one last time before leaving their house, and making her way to her own. 

The lights were off and the house was quiet when she got home. Her mom was still asleep then, which wasn’t a surprise. It was a little after three, so her next shift didn’t start for a few more hours.

Mizuki made her way to her room as quietly as she could. The white envelope caught her eye. It was all dressed in English, but her gaze was fixated on the return address.

> _Fujimoto Hitomu_

She ran a thumb over his name before tossing the envelope on her desk.

There was no need to ruin her perfectly good day.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! That was chapter 4 of Before Tomorrow Comes! Tell me, what'd you think. Is it moving too fast? Too slow? Who's your favorite, Atsumu or Osamu? 
> 
> I wanted this chapter to be filled with something important, so it wouldn't be a boring filler chapter. But at the same time, I didn't want it to be too heavy to the point It felt rushed or out of place. I have plans for this story and I hope you stick around.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments or by leaving a like! I love to see what you guys think.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you stick around. 
> 
> Sincerely,  
> mmoonlightss


	5. Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't worry when I fight with you, worry when I stop because it means there's nothing left for us to fight for." - Unknown

“Chance ball!”

Golden week had come. To the rest of the country, it was a time to relax and maybe go on a short vacation, but for the girls volleyball team of Inarizaki High, it meant practice match after practice match, all in preparation for the Inter High Tournament coming up in a few weeks. 

Hana’s arms were poised for an overhand pass to the regular third year setter Minami Ichika, so sent it to Mariko, who nailed it to the ground. The play was simple and strong, and fueled Usagi High to fight back even harder. The school of rabbits were known for their receiving skills, rivalling Nekoma’s girls team in terms of receiving skills.

Mizuki’s fingernails dug into her palms as she watched the game from the sidelines. There was nothing more frustrating than having to sit and watch when every bone in her body screamed at her to move towards the ball. 

Usagi’s Ace hit a straight line that Hana couldn’t dig. 

Mizuki wasn’t even sure if she could dig that, but she was dying to try. But as a first year, she was benched, and just had to hope and pray she’d get her chance to show Coach Endo that she was capable. 

Usagi High won the match after three full sets, and the penalty was one flying lap around the court. Mizuki grunted as she dove to the ground and got back up again. Next to her, Akane grumbled, “Flying laps have to be my least favorite penalty. I’d take suicides or sprints over this any day.” Mizuki laughed as she stood back up. “No way. I don’t think any punishment is worse than suicides.” 

Several drills and another practice match later, Mizuki found herself in the locker room, changing and ready to go home. Even without playing, her body felt sore and achy, probably due to the drills and penalties they did. 

Himari leaned against her locker, “I so wanna eat right now.”

Chiya who was slumped against her own locker perked up at the mention of food. “Oh I could totally go for some food.” Ichika shook her head at them, “How do you guys have energy for anything other than sleep?”

Chiya laughed, “C’mon! It’ll be fun! A reward after a long day of hard work. Think of it as team bonding. We can go to that ramen shop a block away from here.” Reiko’s eyes narrowed, ‘Are you saying that because you’re hungry or because you know that the boys team could be there right now?”

This sent the entire locker room into a fit of giggles while Chiya blushed red, “N-no!” 

Himari chuckled, “You don’t sound very convincing.” 

Emiko stifled her giggles, “Wait. How do you even know that they’re there?”   


“Aran sits next to Chiya in class, and mentioned that the boys team usually goes there whenever they go out.” Hana explained. Mariko asked, “But what if they’re not there?” 

Mizuki hoisted her bag on her shoulder, trying to hide her grin. But the entire situation was so funny that she couldn’t help it. “I can find out if you want me too.” Before anyone could stop her, she clicked on Atsumu’s contact and put the call on speaker. Everyone in the locker room froze, and Chiya hid her face in her hands. 

He answered on the second ring. “Hey Zuki, what’s up?” 

“Hey Tsumu, y’know that ramen shop you like? The one a block away from school. Is it open right now? The girls and I were thinking about getting food, but we didn’t want to walk over there only for it to be closed.” She told him.

Atsumu snorted, “Lazy much?” 

Mizuki rolled her eyes, “I can hang up and call Samu if you’re going to be no help.”

He laughed, and the sound echoed through the locker room. “The place is open. The team and I are actually here now.” Suddenly his voice was joined by another one, “Oi Tsumu, who’re you talking to?” “Zuki called. Her and the girls team are joining us.” 

In fake politeness Mizuki declined, “We don’t want to intrude.” She could picture Atsumu rolling his eyes through the phone, “You’re not. Everyone says it’s fine. Right?” He paused and there was a mix of male voices shouting their agreement. Mizuki laughed, “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit. Bye.”

“Bye Zuki!” 

Yua raised a single perfect eyebrow, “I didn’t know you were close with the Miya twins.”

It wasn’t uncommon for the boys and girls volleyball team to be friends. Yua, herself, had the numbers of the third years boys on the team. But the even as first years the Miya’s were revered on the court, and she wasn’t aware they were close to anyone on the girls team. 

Mizuki rubbed the back of her neck. “We grew up together along with Aran. I’ve known them since we were around ten.” Noriko smirked, “Do you like either of them?” This sent another round of laughter through the room. Mizuki chuckled but shook her head, “No, I don’t like either of them.” She shrugged and continued, with a pointed look at Chiya, “If you like them, I can put in a good word for you.” 

Chiya shook her head, her cheeks still resembling a tomato. “I- no I don’t like either of them.”

Reiko bumped shoulder with her, sending her a teasing glance, “Yeah, Chiya has the hots for Aran.” 

“I do not!”

“Mmhmm.” 

Yua clapped her hands, a wide grin on her face, “Okay girls. We better head out now, Don’t want to keep the boys waiting.”

Mizuki was at the back of the group, and one of the last to enter the shop, but she could already hear the enthusiastic greetings of the two teams. True to Atsumu’s word, the entire boys team was there. They moved a few tables forming one long one, making room for the girls. Though, a few boys moved over so that it would be a mixed seating arrangement. Mizuki spotted a seat in between Kita and Osamu, and one across from them, in between Aran and Atsumu. 

Atsumu spotted her first, “Zuki! Come sit.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chiya freeze, her brown eyes darting at Aran and another seat near Yua and Eito. With a smirk, Mizuki subtly ushered Chiya into the seat next to Aran before taking the seat next to Osamu. 

Osamu raised an eyebrow at her, when she ordered only a plate of pork slices and onigiri, definitely not a substantial meal after a hard day's practice. “You should be eating more.”    
  
She shook her head, with a playful smile. “I can’t. I’ve been gaining weight with all the food you’ve been giving me in exchange for tutoring Samu. That’s bad for an athlete y’know.” He gave her a once over. In his opinion she could stand to eat a little more food, but decided not to push it. Instead he pushed his plate of gyoza towards her, causing her to smile but quietly accept the food.

Mizuki happily took a bite and observed what was going on around her. 

The two captains were sitting closely, the conversation flowing fluidly. Though, that was expected since Eito and Yua met in middle school. Emiko and Akane quietly chatted with Suna throwing in a few words here and there. And in front of her, Chiya was hopelessly chatting with Atsumu while stealing glances at Aran, who was invested in his conversation with Omimi.

Thankfully, most of the conversations ceased when Mizuki got her food and she took the opportunity to distract Atsumu so that Chiya would get the chance to talk with Aran.

“Say Tsumu, Samu was telling me about your practice matches today. I heard you were having an off day.” 

Atsumu scowled and glared at his brother. He huffed with crossed arms, “Was not.”

“Liar.”

Mizuki took the opportunity to exchange glances with Chiya and jerk her head in Aran’s direction. Chiya clashes red and Mizuki was sure Kita caught on to what she was doing, but thankfully her long time friend was clueless. Chiya brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, “S-so, how’d the game go?”

Aran turned to her, “Ahh, we won, but it took us three sets, which we weren’t really expecting.” 

As they continued to converse, Mizuki’s grin grew wider. She attempted to hide it by stuffing her mouth full with a bite of onigiri. Kita caught her eye and gave her a knowing look. Yeah, he definitely knew what she was up to. She gave a sheepish smile as best she could with a mouth full of food, and Kita just quietly chuckled.

It drew the attention of Atsumu who stared at his senpai with wide eyes, “Ohhh! Kita laughed!”

Immediately the second year's expression returned to its normally expressionless face, just in time for Osamu to miss it. “Huh?” Osamu stared at Kita who gave no indication that he even noticed. Osamu turned on his brother, “Yer trying to change the subject!”

While the Miya’s arguing gave her dinner time entertainment, she couldn’t help but notice the amount of eyes it drew on them. Along eight he ones form the restaurant owner who was narrowing her eyes at them. Mizuki pinched Osamu in the side and flicked Atsumu’s forehead. “You guys are going to get us kicked out with all yer yelling.” She hissed at them. At least, they had the sense to look embarrassed. “Sorry Zuki.” They mumbled. Satisfied, Mizuki gave an apologetic look at the owner who just shook her head exasperatedly and turned away.

Down the table, Ichika laughed, “It looks like someone knows how to handle the troublesome duo Eito.” All eyes turned to the boys captain who tossed his head back, laughing, “Yeah I guess so.” Then Eito turned to Mizuki. “Zuki is it?” Mizuki shook her head, “It’s actually Mizuki.” 

His eyes widened ever so slightly, before he nodded. “Sorry Mizuki.” He corrected himself. “I wish we could have you around all the time to deal with those two.” Though her focus was on Eito, she heard Atsumu whisper to his brother, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Osamu grunted, “I dunno.” 

Mizuki stifled a smile, “Yeah, sorry I can’t. Though from what I hear you’re doing a pretty good job.” Eito shrugged, “I have to admit that Kita does a better job at it than I do.” The second year in question didn’t respond with anything more than a nod to acknowledge he heard the compliment. 

Thankfully the rest of dinner was not as eventful, and Mizuki soon found herself walking home sandwiched between Osamu and Atsumu. 

“So how’d today go?” Atsumu asked. His hands were shoved in the maroon volleyball warm up jacket. Mizuki zipped up her own black and maroon warm up jacket. “Fine, I guess. As expected I didn’t get playing time, but when we did drills and stuff the coach seemed happy with my performance.” 

Osamu spared a glance at the 160 cm girl. Her cheeks were puffed with frustration and a wrinkle formed on her forehead. He faltered in his steps, not entirely sure what to say to cheer her up. Mizuki was undeniably talented - he even thought she was on the same level as him and Atsumu - but unfortunately, in many cases, seniority and experience trumped blooming talent.

Mizuki sharply exhaled. It was awkward talking to them about her situation. A part of her was envious of how fortunate they were to be regulars as first years, but it wasn’t like they didn’t deserve it. They were miles ahead of her, and it was unfair for her to compare herself to them. All she could do was polish her skills until her chance came, and she would grab it with both hands. It would do nothing to complain to them. All it did was make her out to be a child who couldn’t handle life. No, she would deal with this on her own.

. . .

Coach Ito, the secondary coach, blew the whistle, and on the other side of the net - Mariko, the team’s strongest server tossed the ball in the air.

“Bring it!” 

Mizuki bellowed. Mariko smirked and jumped after the toss, aiming for the first year. 

It was a six on six match, with the mix of reserve and first team players. According to Endo, this was so they would all get used to playing with each other. Not to mention it gave those stuck on the reserves an opportunity to play.

In a blink of an eye, the ball was in their court, and Mizuki grunted at the impact as she received it up high. “Ichika!” The setter jumped and tossed the ball to Nami who hit a beautiful straight that was unfortunately dug up by Yua. 

Akane jumped to toss to Noriko who was blocked by Himari, causing the ball to hit the ground. Making that the first point of the second set. Unfortunately, Yua’s team took the first set, but it only made Ichika’s team more determined to win the second.

Mizuki stepped off the court as it was Himari’s turn to serve. On the other side, Yua smirked, “Let’s take back that point!” 

“Ossss!”

Himari tossed the ball up and hit it to the other side of the net, purposely aiming for the while belt of the net. It caused the momentum of the ball to slow.

Reiko cursed. “Front!” 

Hana dove for the ball, receiving it high enough for Akane to toss it to the left, where Mariko was waiting. Ever the powerful ace, the ball was slammed down, past the blockers and onto the court. “Yes!” Mariko cheered. 

“Nice kill!”

Ichika pursed her lips as she looked at her friends, and current opponents. “Don’t mind. We’ll get the next one!” 

They ended up winning the set, but losing the next, meaning Yua’s team won the match. Mizuki internally cursed herself as she began the penalty suicides in the gym. The last shot was made by Emiko, and Mizuki should’ve been able to dig it. Maybe if she had they wouldn’t have lost.

A few feet away from her, Coach Endo was talking with Hana. “You did well. There were a few that you could’ve gotten if you were a half step faster, but overall, you did well.” 

Mizuki sighed and tried to ignore the weight that settled onto her shoulders. She would take criticism or praise, because it meant that at least, she was getting noticed. 

As the girls headed to the locker room to change, Mizuki darted to gymnasium one where the boys were wrapping up. She’d been joining them almost every night for extra practice. Luckily, they had a practice match today, so their coach was allowing them to get off easy and just clean up the gym before heading home. Though, not to her surprise, Atsumu, Aran, Ginjima, and Osamu lingered.    


Aran spotted her first. “Mizuki! Are you joining us again for more practice?” Mizuki nodded as she slipped on her white volleyball shoes with gold accents. She grinned, “Yup, I could use some work on my receives.”

Next to the cart load of blue and yellow volleyballs, Osamu smirked, “And what makes you think you’ll be able to dig ‘em?”

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, and readied herself on the opposite side. “Gin’s? Maybe not, but yours? Much easier.” Osamu growled and sharply turned to walk towards the back of the court. Aran sighed, “You just had to rile him up didn’t you?” She shrugged, innocently, “Not my fault that he makes it too easy.” 

Gin and Osamu made up one group while Atsumu, Aran, and Mizuki made the other. She watched Gin toss the ball up to Osamu who set it for him. Gin managed to avoid the two-man block, but Mizuki was there to send the ball back to Atsumu who set it to Aran. 

Aran spiked it into their two man block, and suddenly time slowed down. Mizuki watched the ball fall slowly to the ground and she dove to get it, only to come up a half-step short. She cursed and glared up at Osamu and Gin. Blocked balls were difficult to dig, and her technique on those could use major polishing. 

It was getting late, and Aran and Ginjima were the first to go. Atsumu glanced at the time, “We should probably leave too.” Mizuki pursed her lips. “Can we go a little longer? I want to practice receiving blocked balls.”

Both of them narrowed their eyes at her, and Mizuki quickly attempted to right herself under their scrutinizing gaze before their judgement could pass. She knew she looked like a right mess. Her hair was skewed out of its ponytail and her chest was moving quickly as she tried to gather her breath. Her knees and thighs starting to ache and threaten to give in to her exhaustion. 

“No.” 

Mizuki stared at Atsumu.

“Why not.” She demanded. Her fingernails dug into her palm. “Weren’t you the one telling me to train and polish my skills? If I don’t improve, I’ll never get the chance to stand on the court.” Osamu pursed his lips. “You’re going to get hurt if you continue like this.” 

She rolled her eyes. “As if either of you can lecture me on over practicing.” She remembered the nights where Atsumu stayed up late with her tossing, or the days when Osamu kept asking for one more toss. Heck, they still did it. It wasn’t fair.

Atsumu and Osamu exchanged a glance. Cautiously, Osamu tried to reason with her. “I know we should be the last ones telling you this, but we’re telling you this because we care. We get it. You want to be better, but over practicing will only get you injured.”

They got it? Mizuki scoffed. Her built up frustration finally boiled over. “You get it? How could you get it, Osamu! You were given a spot on the starting line-up. Atsumu, they picked you over a third year. You couldn’t possibly get it!” Her eyes stung with tears, and she willed them not to fall. “If I don’t get better, then I won’t get a chance to play until I’m a third year! Don’t you get that?”

Atsumu growled at her, “You already do extra practice. Before that, you were already a damn good libero. You won best in middle school, damn it! If you practice any more, you’re only hurting yourself.” How could she not see that she was just hurting herself? There was a limit to how much her body could take, and he could see she was reaching it as clear as day. He always spotted her up early, going for a run before her own morning practice, and she always stayed behind to practice with him and the boys. Dark bags decorated her under eyes and lately her shoulders were slouched with exhaustion.

“None of that matters! What matters is that Coach sees me as inferior to Hana and if I never show improvement, how am I supposed to be able to play in a real match! Tell me Atsumu!” 

Their voices were echoing in the empty gym, and now all you could hear were their labored breaths.

Her eyes were hard as she glared at him. When he didn’t respond, Mizuki let out a shaky breath. “See? You can’t.”

Atsumu’s voice came out strong and clear. A deadly calm that was uncharacteristic of him when he was in an argument. Mizuki met his eyes and flinched at the burning look he was giving her.

“Fine.” He said. “Over practice all you want, but I won’t be there to see you get hurt.” 

He fished into his bag and tossed the keys at her, “Close up when you leave.” 

Then he tugged Osamu out of the gym, slamming the door behind them. She flinched at the sound. Now she stood alone in the gym, and the silence was deafening.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh this chapter was so angsty and so much fun to write. I hope it wasn't too much or wasn't super sudden. I've been trying to build it up in the last couple of chapters, so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you did by leaving a kudos or a comment. I love to see what you think.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this far! I hope you stick around!
> 
> Love,  
> mmoonlightss


	6. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." - Henry Ford

For the rest of Golden Week, Mizuki didn’t say a word to the Miya twins. She didn’t text or call them, and she didn’t dare to linger a moment longer in front of her house, knowing in a few minutes they would pass by on their walk to school.

Mizuki plastered a smile on her face when she spotted half the team and both coaches standing by the gates of the school next to the bus. Today they’d be traveling to Tokyo, where’d stay for two days to have a few practice matches with their best teams. 

Yua greeted her with a sleepy smile, “Morning Fuji-chan.”

“Morning!”

Akane pulled her warm up jacket tighter around her, “How you could possibly be a morning person, will never cease to amaze me.” Emiko laughed, “Not everyone likes to stay up until 3 am.” Akane scrunched up her nose. “I’ll have you know I slept at midnight last night.” The setter defended.

Mizuki chuckled, “That has to be a record for you.” Emiko giggled, and Akane pouted at all the teasing.

“Oh? Good Morning! What are you guys doing out here?” Mizuki turned at the sound of a familiar male voice and tensed when she spotted Aran flanked by Atsumu and Osamu. 

Chiya tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear and answered, “We’re heading to Tokyo for a couple of days for a few practice matches.” Aran nodded, “Well have fun then!” Just as Aran turned to walk away he spotted Mizuki, and she winced and willed herself to disappear. She wasn’t entirely sure if the team was in the dark or not about her fight with the Miya twins, but with Aran being a close friend to the three of them, there was a greater possibility of him knowing. 

Aran stepped closer, uncaring of the tense brother’s behind him and greeted her with a warm smile and a wave. But despite his friendliness, she didn’t miss the knowing look in his eyes. “Hey Mizuki. It’s been awhile.” She fiddled with the ends of her hair, “Blame Yua-senpai, she’s been running us to the ground lately.” She flashed said captain a teasing grin, and Yua laughed it off with a roll of her eyes. Aran chuckled, “I know the feeling.” Finally, he glanced back at the twins. Osamu was faced in her direction, but not meeting her eyes, while Atsumu was looking dead at her. Mizuki forced herself not to shrink under his gaze. Then he continued, “I hope you make some time for us soon ‘kay?” The word ‘us’ wasn’t lost on anyone who knew about the current situation, and with one last wave goodbye the three of them walked away.

Emiko’s eyes darted from the backs of the Miya twins to Mizuki. “What was that all about?”

Playing dumb, she responded, “What was what?”

Akane rolled her eyes, “That fiasco. Atsumu-san and Osamu-san didn’t say a word to you, and barely looked at you. That’s  _ never _ how they act whenever you’re around. They both get like ten times more energetic and loud when you’re around.” She said that last part with her nose scrunched up in distaste. Akin to Suna, Akane loved quiet and not so boisterous people, which was why she found Atsumu, and sometimes Osamu, irritating. 

“They didn’t even say hi.” Emiko added. 

Mizuki pursed her lips. “They’re not really morning people, and we had a disagreement recently. It’s nothing.”

“Liar.” Akane said.

Mizuki glared. Emiko stared at the two then sighed, “Truthfully, we noticed that the past two days, you’ve been acting differently, playing-wise too.” Mizuki tensed. It was one thing for her attitude to change. It was a whole other thing for her performance to be perfected. Seeing her expression, Emiko quickly explained. “You haven’t been playing badly or anything, but you’re aura is just different.”

“Before you were a silent but kind presence on the court. Your play was kind of quiet, but you offered encouragement and support when needed. A true guardian angel” Akane teased. “But now… you still offer words of advice and encouragement and support. But your presence is different, it’s more scary-serious. I’m sorry if I’m not explaining it to the full extent, but I hope you understand what I’m saying.”

Mizuki hated that she understood. But she was thankful her friends sensed that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and thankfully dropped it.

The ride to Tokyo was smooth sailing. She sat next to Reiko and they chatted about various hobbies they shared, before falling asleep two hours in. They reached the city mid-day and at the sight of Nekoma High, Mizuki felt excitement fill her veins.

A wide grin spread over her face as she took in the sight of the powerhouse school. Though, the boys team were the pride and joy of the school, it didn’t make the girl’s team any lesser than them. It seems the concept of ‘connect’ was used by both teams, and the girl’s team was just as good as the guy’s. She was itching to step foot on the court. Not to mention she was excited to see exactly what their libero could do. 

Himari chuckled, and Mizuki snapped her gaze to the second year. At her questioning gaze, Himari answered. “It’s nothing, it’s just you look at the court like a puppy looks at food.” Mizuki felt her cheeks heat up, and fumbled for what to say in response. Reiko interjected, peeling off her warm up jacket as she talked. “An adorable puppy if any case.” This sent the girls into giggles and Mizuki attempted to push the flush down from her cheeks, but from how warm they felt, it wasn’t working.

Coach Endo cleared her throat, and immediately, Mizuki snapped to attention. “Alright so we’ll be going with our usual starting line-up, and I won’t sub unless necessary. With the exception of our setters and liberos.” I straightened up, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the other three girls do the same. Coach Endo continued, “I want Ichika and Mizuki to start the match but I want Akane and Hana to start the second. Akane, this will give you a chance to sync up with the team under a real game simulation.” Coach Endo glanced at her, “As for Mizuki, I want to match up all our liberos to see how we compare. From there we’ll see how it goes.”

Mizuki buzzed to life, at the prospect of getting to play. Especially with a school as talented as Nekoma. Her excitement was tainted with nerves as Akane’s words from earlier haunted her. She couldn’t afford to let her personal life affect her play. And more importantly, she had to be performing her best, for the team. Mizuki mentally shoved her Miya problems into a mental box and willed herself to only think of this coming match.

As Coach Endo stepped back, their secondary coach, Coach Watanabe, launched into an overview of Nekoma’s players, and what to watch out for. She kept it short, considering they’d already gone over it the day before at the end of practice.

After the debrief, Yua pulled them into a huddle. Ever the captain, her voice was strong and sure. “All of us together make this team. All of us together, decide this match.” Yua looked all of them in the eye, and suddenly Mizuki felt the last of her nerves disappear.

“Inarizaki~ Fight!”

“Osss!”

Mizuki watched from the sidelines as the first server, Ichika - clad in a black shirt, a white penny, and maroon shorts- prepared herself to start the match. At the sound of the whistle, Ichika took one steadying breath before tossing the ball up for a jump serve. A loud satisfying sound was made when her hand made contact with the ball, flying over to Nekoma’s side where their #11 was waiting. With a grunt she dug it up, passing it to the setter who tossed it to their tall #6 on the left.

“Mizuki.” 

Next to her, Hana stood with her arms crossed, but her focus was fixated on the match. “I know we’re fighting for the same position, but let’s both do our best to support the team okay?”

Mizuki let out a quiet gasp. Was she that obvious? In terms of skill Mizuki thought she was slightly better but Hana had the skill and experience to keep her position on the starting line up. Was Hana aware of how much she envied her? God, kill her now.

Hana shot her an understanding smile, “Believe me, I get what you’re going through. In middle school I was only able to play during my second year, because of seniority. I practiced and practiced but it always seemed out of reach. I got some time during practice matches but I didn’t get to play my first game until my third year. I’m aware that Coach Endo might replace me with you and when that happens, I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us.”

Her use of ‘when’ wasn’t lost on either of them. 

Mizuki looked at her shoes, ashamed. Here she was, seeing as Hana as her rival, she was so ambitious, she forgot the most important part. 

“All of us together make the team.” Her words were an echo of Yua’s speech that was given before every practice match and game. Mizuki stoll a glance at the banner that hung above their side of the court.  _ Together, we fight _ . But for some reason, the message didn’t truly sink in till now. “Liberos are supposed to support the team. Be the reliable backbone. If we start fighting, it would be bad for the team.”

“I’m...sorry.” Her voice was small. 

Hana waved it off. “I’m not berating you, you have nothing to be sorry for. But just look at it this way. Liberos support the team, and we can support each other.” 

Mizuki’s eyes glistened with awe and a new understanding of what being a team meant. Hana was her biggest rival, but she was also her biggest support. She’d been so blinded by her need to succeed and prove herself, she’d forgotten that in the end, they were still one team.

The whistle blew and Mizuki vaguely heard her name being called. Emiko was probably being subbed out now, and it was her turn to step on the court. Hana nodded, satisfied that her message got through. “It’s your time, guardian angel.” She had a teasing grin, and Mizuki swelled with a new source of pride. There was a new resolve in her. “I won’t let you down senpai. Nor the team.” 

Hana gave a closed eye smile, “I know you won’t.” 

With a knock of their fists, Mizuki stepped onto the court in Emiko’s place, and fell into the receiving position. Up to serve was Nekoma’s Ace, #9. From what she knew, their Ace had a killer spike serve and tended to go for line shots, but there was always a possibility of a feint. Keeping that information in the back of her mind, braced herself for the ball at the sound of the whistle.

With a challenging smirk, Nekoma’s Ace sent the ball in her direction, obviously challenging her as a libero. And never the one to back down, Mizuki gladly braced herself for the impact, grunting as the ball hit her forearms. She tipped over and fell on the ground. 

Mizuki cursed at the quality of her receive. “Sorry, cover!”

Yua got to the ball and managed to neatly return it to Ichika who went up for a back toss for Chiya to spike. Chiya jumped and spiked the ball past the blockers but before it could hit the ground, Nekoma unsurprisingly dug it up and sent it to their setter who tossed to the center for a quick. 

“Got it!”

Mizuki dove for the ball. Like hell was she going to let the ball drop. Not when it was on their side of the court. She returned the ball to Ichika, who tossed to Mariko. Mariko took off, jumping as the toss went up, and slammed it past the blockers with a sharp line shot. 

Mizuki felt a strange sense of pride and smugness brim over her as their #9 failed to dig it up, and was cursing with frustration. 

They played two practice matches that day with Nekoma. The first lasted two straight sets for Nekoma, and one three set match with Inarizaki winning the first and third. Mizuki was pleasantly tired after playing 2 of the 5 total sets. She wiped her face with a towel as the team began to pack up since it was so late already.

Coach Watanabe took hold of one of the equipment bags. “Alright girls, grab the stuff and head to the bus. The inn we’re staying at is about twenty minutes away. Let’s get going.”

“Yes Coach!”

Just as Mizuki was about to put her volleyball shoes in her bag, she got distracted by the Nekoma libero, #6, approaching her. “Hi! I’m Yamada Megumi.” She had blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and a bright smile. Wide-eyed, Mizuki bowed, “Hello, I’m Fujimoto Mizuki.”

Megumi nodded, “You’re a good libero, first year right?” 

Mizuki nodded. Yamada played 3 sets, so she was probably a second or third year. From her skill level, she guessed that she’d been playing for awhile, which meant she already knew Hana and she was a new face to her. 

Yamada grinned. “Well keep it up. I have a feeling you’re going to be a tough opponent to beat. After all, Hana is your senpai.” Mizuki glanced over at Hana who was talking with Akane, before turning back to Yamada, smiling, “Yeah.” 

Yamada laughed lightly, and asked to exchange phone numbers before bounding over to Hana to say hi.

Feeling the lightest she’d felt all week, Mizuki followed the rest of the team out to the bus which would bring them to their hotel. Emiko walked beside her, purposely slowing down her pace so Mizuki’s shorter legs could keep up. Mizuki grouched when she saw the look on Emiko’s face. “I already know you’re calling me short in yer head.” 

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t have to.”

Emiko tossed her head back, laughing. Mizuki, pouted and looked away from her 170 cm friend. The school was empty, so she was able to take in their pretty canvas without any distractions. The lawns were green with multiple trees planted to provide shade to the benches that were placed beneath them. Multiple vending machines were placed in the walkways and the school building itself was large. The school colors decorated the place, showing large amounts of school pride. Outside the main gates, was the Inarizaki bus, which fit the whole team. 

Mizuki’s eyebrows furrowed when she spotted the bus next to theirs. “Why is there another bus there.” 

Himari, who was close-by over heard, and answered, “That’s the Fukurodani bus. They were playing over in gym three. Did’ya not hear them when we walked by it earlier?”

She shook her head. 

Mizuki filed onto the vehicle with everyone else, this time ending up in an aisle seat with Nami taking the window. Coach Watanabe climbed on last and stood in the aisle, “Alright, we’ll be going now, so make sure you have everything.” 

Mizuki immediately dug into her backpack, a burst of doubt that she didn’t bring everything flaring within her. It happened every time someone reminded her, whether she knew she did it or not. Doubt would creep in, causing her to always quadruple check. She unzipped her bag to find her volleyball shoes missing, and she immediately shot up. “Coach! I forgot my shoes!”   
Coach Watanabe sighed, “it’s a good thing you checked. Go grab it but be fast.” 

With a grateful nod, Mizuki ran off the bus, as fast as her tired legs could carry her. And just as she turned a sharp corner she collided with a hard chest, knocking her to the ground. “Oww.” She mumbled.

“AHhhh. I’m so sorry! Are ya okay!” 

A hand shot into her line of vision. Mizuki gratefully took it and looked up to see pretty turquoise eyes and wavy black hair. The handsome boy wore a white jacket with gold and black accents. Mizuki figured he was from the Fukurodani group.

“Are you okay?” His voice was much calmer than his companion. 

Mizuki nodded, wincing slightly. “I think I’ll be a little sore, but I’m okay. Thank you.” 

It was only then that realized that this girl was indeed a girl, and a very pretty one at that. Akaashi turned red and quickly diverted his eyes from her silver gaze.

“I’m so sorry I hit you!” A loud booming voice shouted. Mizuki blinked when she saw an equally good looking boy who had black roots with the tips dyed silver. His golden eyes glistening.

Mizuki blinked. “You resemble a great horned owl.” 

Immediately his expression morphed into a wide smile that radiated warmth. Suddenly, Mizuki wanted to smile too. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” That’s so cool! That’s totally what I was going for! Did ya hear her Aghashi! She said I look like an owl!” He cheered. 

The boy that helped her up, Agashi? Released a breath through his nose. “It’s Akaashi Bokuto-san. And yes, I heard her.” 

Bokuto’s eyes zeroed in on the maroon and white warm up jacket wrapped around her. “Hey! Hey! Are you from here? That doesn’t look like a Nekoma jacket?”

Mizuki shook her head. “Cuz it’s not. I’m Fujimoto Mizuki from Inarizaki. We’re staying for a few days for practice matches and stuff. We had two with Nekoma’s girl team today.” Bokuto perked up even more, if that was even possible, at the mention of volleyball. “Oooh do you play? What position?”

Mizuki twirled the ends of her hair. “Libero, but I’m still a first year, so there’s not much playing time.” 

Akaashi looked at her in sympathy. Bokuto grunted, “It’s like that with Akaashi! Don’t get me wrong our regular setter is amazing, but he refuses to toss me straights even though I’ve been practicin’.”

At the thought, Bokuto slumped and his hair sagged with him. Mizuki resisted the urge to pet him like a puppy. She exchanged a confused but concerned glance with Akaashi who was unbothered by his friend’s behavior. “Bokuto-san, I doubt this girl wants to know about our problems.” 

Mizuki rushed to correct him as Bokuto fell into a worse mood. “No, no! It’s fine. I’m sure yer setter will toss you straights in no time!” Her pathetic attempt to cheer him up seemed to work and Bokuto bounced back,  thrusting a fist into the air. “Hey! You’re right, I’ll become so good at straights he’ll have to throw me the toss!”

Akaashi sighed before turning to her. His eyes seemed to convey his unspoken gratitude. “So what are you doing alone? Did you get lost?”

Her eyes widened, “Crap! I forgot my shoes in the gym and everyone’s waiting for me on the bus! I better get going, but it was nice meeting you! I’ll be sure to look out for you just so I can see your powerful straight Bokuto-san!”

Bokuto blushed but beamed at her. “Thank you! D-do you want to exchange numbers? So I can send you a video of me and Akaashi practicin’ them!” Mizuki eagerly dug her phone from her pocket and handed it over. “Sure!” 

She got both Bokuto’s and Akaashi’s number and in turn put her number into their phones. Bokuto pocketed his, “I’m really sorry for knocking you over earlier. We were getting some stuff from the bus, and I didn’t see ya.” Mizuki waved his apology away. “It’s okay. I was going fast and wasn’t paying attention.” She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Anyways, I have to get goin’, but it was nice meeting you guys.”

They waved her goodbye and when they probably thought she was out of earshot, Bokuto exclaimed. “Kuroo won’t believe me when I say I got a pretty girl’s number!” Akaashi humed his agreement, while Mizuki was glad her back was turned because her face was flushed bright red. 

. . .

Atsumu’s confident steps faltered when they passed the Fujimoto house. Half the team was on their way to Kita’s house to hang out, and to get there, they had to walk past the Miya’s and Fujimoto’s neighborhood. Specifically, in front of Mizuki’s home. Not expecting the blonde to freeze, Gin bumped into him from behind. “Oi. Why’d ya stop?” The rest of the team stopped at Gin’s words, taking note of how both Osamu and Atsumu’s gazes were locked on the front door.

Kita cocked his head to the side, “Who lives here?”

Aran’s eyes drifted to the window with icy periwinkle blue curtains. “Mizuki.” His eyes landed on the twins who were both looking at the door like they were waiting for her to walk out the door right this instant.

Suna didn’t bother looking up from his phone. “You know she’s not home right? The team’s in Tokyo.”

Osamu and Atsumu did remember, but that didn’t stop them from wishin she was in their so they could apologize. Omimi stared at the two boys, “Oh, you guys haven’t made up yet?” It was obvious to everyone that both of the twins were off their game. Not so much that it would cost them the match, but enough to notice the difference in their behavior.

Osamu sighed and tore his gaze away from the door. He felt guilty for not stepping in when Atsumu and her were having a go at it, and for not putting a stop to her over practicing sooner. They’d talked on multiple occasions about how Mizuki was feeling about not getting to play, and he should’ve seen the signs. All he could do now was pull his head out of his ass and apologize. 

He tugged on his brother’s jacket. “Oi. Let’s go.”

Atsumu sighed and allowed himself to be pulled away from the house. “Fine.”

Atsumu felt like a jerk. He knew how much playing meant to Mizuki and knew why she felt the need to practice more. Now he wasn’t going to go around saying he was wrong, because he wasn’t. But looking back, he could’ve dealt with the situation with much more finesse. Now thanks to him, Mizuki wasn’t talking to him or Osamu, so he didn't have the chance to say he was sorry.

Feeling worse than before, Atsumu fell to the back of the group, and Osamu intentionally slowed so they could walk side by side. Atsumu stared up at the sky. The light pollution was heavy, so he couldn’t make out more than a few stars. “We really messed up, eh ‘Samu?”

Osamu sighed, tilting his head to take in the sight his brother was fixated on. Somewhere in Tokyo, Mizuki was looking at the same sky. “Yep.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Wow the first chapter of 2021! I hope you liked it. I bet you guys thought she was going to meet Kuroo and Kenma huh? I originally intended for Mizuki to meet those two along with Bokuto and Akaashi all at the same time, but when I wrote the scene, it didn't really fit. So I changed it to just Bokuto and Akaashi.
> 
> This chapter had a bit of growth for Mizuki. I hope that was clear enough in the chapter. She has yet to resolve her Miya problem but as a team member she did evolve. Which was something I loved to write. Also just a reminder, I do not edit my chapters super thoroughly and I have no beta, so I'm sorry if I have any mistakes. I plan on editing them in the future though. But that'll probably be when I finish it.
> 
> Always, thank you so much for reading! I cannot possibly tell you how much it means to me to have you amazing readers stick around for this long. I hope you continue to stick around and read my story. If you liked it, please leave a KUDOS or COMMENT! I love to see what you guys think!
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading!!!
> 
> Signing off,  
> moonlights


	7. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Darkness is a part of this life, but so is light.” - Millie Florence, Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen

It was their last day in Tokyo. There had been a last minute problem with the bus that had them staying an extra half day.

“Wake up!”

At the abrupt brightness flooding the room and sudden loudness, Mizuki woke up slowly like a kitten stretching or a baby waking up, while the rest groaned. Mizuki’s tired eyes focused in on Reiko who was standing by the window. 

Reiko chirped, “Rise and shine guys. It’s time to go sight-seeing!”

Ichika sat up and rubbed her eyes, her hair askew. “You make it sound like we’ve never been to Tokyo before.” Reiko rolled her eyes. “C’mon Ichika-san! We can go shopping and take pictures and eat food and-”

“Breathe Rei.” Yua teased, her words were a little slurred with sleep.

Everyone slowly but surely woke up, Akane being the last. Somehow she managed to sleep through Reiko’s ruckus. Post-shower, Mizuki padded her way down to breakfast, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Grabbing a tray, she sat next to Emiko and Nami. “Morning!”

Nami smiled tiredly, “Good morning.” 

Emiko slurped her soup, “So Mizuki, where do you want to go? I want to go to this art museum a few blocks away. And then a five minute walk from there is a bookstore that Akane wants to go to.” Mizuki swallowed her rice. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I think I’ll just tag along with you guys.” 

“Are you sure there’s nowhere special you’d like to go?” Nami asked. 

Mizuki thought about it. Lately, her life had revolved around volleyball and she didn’t have much time for her other hobbies like reading or drawing. Since Akane wants to go to a bookstore, Mizuki could definitely pick up something there. Mizuki asked Emiko, “Is there a crafts store nearby? I need to pick up new art supplies.” 

Emiko pulled out her phone. A few seconds later, she nodded, “Yeah there’s one close to here. We can stop by there first since it’s closer.” 

Half an hour later, Inarizaki’s girl’s volleyball team split up with the agreement to be back at the hotel by 1 p.m. 

The craft store was a square building with white LED lights and light wood. Soft indie music played from the speakers and Mizuki relaxed. In the center room, with a clear view of the entrance, was the clerk’s desk, which was manned by a boy with messy blonde hair. To the left were shelves of fabric with aisles of other tools fashion. To the right were wooden and floral decorations, and other trinkets used to decorate a house. Further back were rows of art supplies like paint, pencils, markers, etc.

Mizuki made a beeline for the art supplies. She could use a new sketchpad and maybe a new water color set. Since her old one got ruined by Atsumu. Akane and Emiko dutifully followed her, since they didn’t really need anything from the store. While Mizuki debated which sketchpad was better quality, Emiko and Akane browsed nearby. 

“Ooh you should get this! It’s so cute.” Emiko was holding up a cotton pouch used to hold markers and colored pencils. In the center of it was a large picture of Luna from Sailor Moon. Mizuki felt inclined to get it, considering that was one of her all time favorite mangas and anime, but knew she shouldn’t. “It is cute, but I don’t need it. Plus the water colors and sketchpad are a lot and I don’t know if I have enough money for that too.”

Emiko pouted but dutifully put it back. 

Mizuki deduced that the 100 paged sketchpad was worth its high pricing compared to the significantly cheaper 50 paged one. Not only did it have more pages but she was able to use wet media on it and not only dry ones. Which meant that she didn’t have to get a separate sketchpad solely for her watercolors.

The clerk at the register flushed bright red when Mizuki approached, and stuttered through their short conversation. He even flinched when their hands brushed when he handed her the plastic bag containing her purchases. Mizuki glanced back at the cashier who happened to be staring at her as they walked out and headed to the museum. Mizuki hummed and turned back around. “I wonder why that guy is working there if he’s so shy around people.” Akane snorted. “That’s not why he was shy.” Mizuki furrowed her brows while Emiko chuckled, “He totally thought you were cute.” Now it was her turn to flush. “Noooo.” She dragged out the vowel. Akane nodded, “He did. You are so oblivious sometimes Mizuki.” 

The libero burrowed her face in her hands, clearly embarrassed for not picking that up. Emiko gently patted her head. “It’s okay Mizuki. How oblivious you are is cute sometimes.”

For the second time, Akane snorted but the subject was dropped as they got to the museum. Since they didn’t have enough time to make it through the whole exhibit, Emiko planned out which sections they would go to. Mizuki bent to take an angled picture of Emiko posing by a bright cubism painting. Her outfit fit in with the artsy aesthetic. A loose white button up top with a peach skirt and matching beret. 

They progressed through the museum, with Emiko stopping to take pictures seemingly every five seconds. When they got to an abstract metal sculpture, Emiko fawned over it like it was a celebrity. 

Akane tilted her head. “I think it’s a man with a bat.”

“Really? I was thinking of a tree.” Mizuki commented.

“A couple slow dancing?”

“A rearing horse on its hind legs?”

“Guys!” Emiko sighed exasperatedly, “It’s  _ abstract  _ art there is no right answer, but I’m sure it’s none of those.” Akane and Mizuki exchanged a brief look before the three of them burst into giggles. Emiko rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips, “C’mon. Let’s take a picture then head to the bookstore.” 

“Us too?” Akane asked. 

Akane glanced at her outfit black leggings and boots with a light green cable knit sweater. “I’m not really dressed for it.” Emiko tugged Akane closer, “You’ll be fine. Mizuki you too.” Mizuki sighed but found someone to take the picture for them. She was okay with her outfit, a thick baby blue sweater that wrapped her neck and a black overall dress, with black boots. 

“One. Two. Three!”

Mizuki smiled brightly until the tell-tale click of pictures being taken subsided. “Alright to the bookstore!” Emiko cheered. The three of them made there way to the cozy book store that sold coffee in a small shop off to the side. Akane immediately went for the sci-fi section, while Emiko went to the coffee shop. “I’ll just wait over here, do you want anything?” She shook her head, “No I’m okay. I think I’ll go take a look at the mangas.” 

Emiko nodded and bounded off while Mizuki headed towards the large manga shelves. There wasn’t any that she was looking for in particular. The shelves were organized by author and all series were clumped together, with the exception of latest releases. 

Mizuki hummed to herself as she browsed, and turned the corner, only to bump into a hard chest. Cheeks blazing, she immediately sprung back and bowed her head in apologies. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this Fujimoto-chan.” 

Mizuki blinked and straightened to find Akaashi standing in front of her, clutching a new manga in his hands. “Fuji, please Akaashi-kun.” He nodded. Her cheeks reddened, “Sorry for bumping into you, I wasn’t paying attention.” A pause. “Again.” He chuckled and smiled shyly, “It’s okay. I didn’t know you were still in Tokyo.” He looked at her questioningly. Mizuki twirled a piece of her hair. “Yeah. There was a small complication with the bus, and we leave at 1 p.m. today.” He nodded.

Just as awkward silence was about to descend upon them, a loud but welcomed voice disrupted it. “Hey Akaashi! Where’d ya go?” 

At the oh-so-distinct voice, Mizuki hid a small laugh behind her hand. Akaashi smiled at her, before taking a step back into the aisle he had just been in. “Please speak quieter Bokuto-san. Or you’ll get us kicked out.” 

Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Sorry Akaashi.” His voice was quieter. Then he spotted the small but very pretty girl standing next him. His eyes widened, “Fuji-chan! You’re here too!” Akaashi pursed his lips at the loudness. Bokuto noticed and winced, “Hehe, sorry.” He cleared his throat. “It’s a surprise to see you here Fuji-chan.” Mizuki grinned, it was hard not to whenever Bokuto was around, and explained the situation to him.

The three of them stood in the middle of the aisle, all thoughts of browsing flying out of their head. “Do you like to read Fuji-chan?” Akaashi asked. “Yeah, drawing and reading are my only hobbies.” Mizuki answered. 

“What about volleyball?” Bokuto asked, his head tilted to the side.

Mizuki shook her head. “Maa, it sounds a little cheesy but volleyball is a passion for me. My love for the sport would be understated if I called it a hobby.” Bokuto grinned and Akaashi looked at her with a glimmer of newfound respect.

Bokuto looked behind her, worriedly he said, “Are you here alone? It’s dangerous for girls to walk around alone. Even if it is daytime.” Mizuki shook her head, “I’m here with two of my friends. They both play volleyball too.” 

He relaxed. “Do you want to meet them?” Mizuki asked. Akaashi answered, “We don’t want to impose.” She shook her head, “You’re not. So yes or no?”

Both boys shrugged. “Sure.” They chorused. 

Mizuki led them to the small coffee shop inside the bookstore. “Matsuo Akane, she’s a setter, she’s probably still wandering around the store, so it’ll be a little difficult to find her. But my other friend, Nakagawa Emiko, said she’d be here.” 

She spotted Emiko’s head hunched over a table, scrolling through her phone. “Emiko!” Her head shot up, swiveling around to see who called her name. Mizuki strolled up with the boys trailing a bit behind her. Emiko smiled, “Hey Mizuki…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed the two boys hanging behind her. Mizuki smothered a laugh. “Emiko, I want you to meet my friends, Boktuo-san and Akaashi-kun. Boys this is Nakagawa Emiko.”

Bokuto, unsurprisingly, greeted her with his loud but friendly voice. Mizuki watched Bokuto talk and couldn’t help but admire his extroverted and passionate personality. Despite meeting Emiko, two seconds ago, he had no problem striking up a conversation with her. Akaashi, on the other hand, calmly greeted her and waved. Compared to Bokuto, his response was underwhelming but Mizuki deduced that that was just Akaashi’s personality. Granted, this was only the second time they’ve met, but they did exchange a few texts in the group chat yesterday, and he was just as stoic. Though he did throw in a few sarcastic and dry remarks that had Mizuki crying with laughter and Bokuto squawking indignantly.

Mizuki watched Bokuto gesticulate wildly with his hands as he told a story and decided to give Akaashi more credit. After all, compared to Bokuto,  _ everyone _ was underwhelming.

Five minutes later, Akane strolled up to the table, clearly confused. “Um Emiko, Mizuki. Why is the 6th best spiker in the nation sitting at our table?” Mizuki introduced the boys and explained how they met again. Bokuto and his hair perked up at the praise. “Hey! Hey! Hey! You must be Matsuo. Nakagawa and Fuji were telling us a story about the three of you.”

“Which one?” Akane sat down and the five of them squeezed around the square table.

Akane sat next to Emiko on one side with Bokuto and Akaashi opposite them. Mizuki was one one end her knees brushing against both Emiko and Akaashi. 

Emiko smirked and said two words that had Akane blushing scarlet and Mizuki groaning. “Hyōgo Prefecture.” 

The boys were intrigued and Akaashi was chuckling at Mizuki’s reaction. Emiko leaned forward. “So  Hyōgo Prefecture High School was up against us for a practice match, and they had a male manager. He was minding his own business, getting water and taking notes, y’know the usual manager things, and when Akane walks into the room and sees him she literally stops in her tracks and gasps, and like everyone in the gym stops what they’re doing to stare at her.”

“Not my fault he was hotter than Atsumu.” Akane interjected.

Mizuki snorted. At Bokuto’s and Akaashi’s confused faces Emiko explained, “Miya Atsumu. He’s a first year and on the boy’s starting line up.” Mizuki scrunched her nose up at the name. And trust Akaashi to notice. “I’ve heard of him and his brother and their talents. Do you not like him?”

Forgetting her embarrassment, Akane snorted. “Those three are best friends. But they’re in a bit of a fight right now.”

Mizuki coughed, “Anyways! Continue your story Emiko.” Akane huffed but let Emiko pick up where she left off. 

“But the worst part is that after practice, the manager was sent to collect the balls that flew up to the viewing wings on accident. Akane followed him so she could flirt with him and possibly get his number, and poor Mizuki only went to hand up the practice jersey’s on the rail.”

“So Akane is chatting it up with the guy, as they go down the stairs and Mizuki is coming up them, and when Akane pushes his shoulder-”

“I was trying to be flirty!”

“-she pushed too hard and he literally went tumbling down the remaining stairs. Thankfully it wasn’t too high up, but he and Mizuki landed in a heap on the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by jerseys and with Akane standing at the top with a ‘what the fuck just happened?’ look on her face.”

Bokuto cackled and Akaashi laughed. Mizuki winced at the memory while Akane was pointedly ignoring them. Once the boys calmed down, Akaashi said, “I never thought anyone could be more embarrassing in front of their crush than Bokuto-san, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Aghasshi!”   


Mizuki giggled and Akaashi jumped into the story, with Bokuto interjecting, akin to Akane’s behavior during Emiko’s story-telling. 

She felt a pleasant buzz. And even when they had to part ways, Mizuki couldn’t seem to wipe the smile of her face

. . .

_ Instagram _

_ @fuji_mizuki _

_ Tokyo friends ;D _

Just above the caption was a picture of Mizuki being squished in between Akaashi and Boktuo. They had pushed Mizuki’s chair in between theirs for the picture, but it was a tight fit. She was beaming, while Bokuto had thrown an arm around her shoulder and beamed at the camera holding up a peace sign, and Akaashi smiled at the camera, holding up a reluctant peace sign. Reluctant, only because Bokuto demanded he do so, so they’d be matching.

It was one of the many pictures they took in the few hours they spent together. All taken on Akaashi’s phone, since he apparently had the best quality. But the one she posted was her favorite of her and the boys. They took group ones too, though, and since Emiko and Akane didn’t have their numbers, Mizuki made sure to forward them all to both girls. She was pretty sure Emiko posted one of a group selfie.

“How is it in the span of two and a half days, you manage to befriend the number 6 spiker in the nation?”

“Nice to see you too Sunarin.”

Mizuki rolled her eyes and Suna pulled his phone away, he all but shoved it under her nose, as if she didn’t know what she posted on her own instagram.

“So?”

Mizuki sighed. This wasn’t how she imagined her morning to go. 

It was the first day back from golden week and they were only a few weeks away from the Interhigh games. It was still a little early and students were still lingering in the hallways and slowly trickling into class. She was seated underneath a tree, sketching, when he strolled up. 

It was only when she looked up did she notice the two boys lingering behind him. Close-enough to hear, but far away enough to not be included in the conversation. She had no doubt that they’d put him up to this and it only served to make her more upset.

“How do you know we’re even friends? I could’ve just ran into them.” Mizuki countered.

“You guys are sitting down, if you ran into them, you’d be standing. Also, only one of them is famous so if you had just ran into them, you’d only be taking a picture with Bokuto Koutarou, not Bokuto Koutarou and a stranger. Not to mention, you captioned it ‘Tokyo  _ friends _ .’” Suna stated.

Mizuki had to commend him and damn him for his perceptiveness, while cursing herself for not having foresight. “That’s Akaashi Keiji, first year setter and Bokuto’s friend. I met them when we were playing Nekoma because they also had a practice match against Nekoma. We’re friends.”

Suna slipped his phone into his pocket and hummed. He glanced back at the Miyas. Where Osamu was skilled in hiding his Atsumu-like tendencies, Mizuki simply didn’t have any. At least that’s what Suna originally thought. It seems he was wrong. She was just as idiotically stubborn as they were. 

He had been intrigued by the picture but didn’t care enough to ask about it until Osamu practically begged him to ask, at his brother’s request. He didn’t expect them to hang around to hear the answer, nor jump in on the conversation.

“What were you doing hanging out with them?” Atsumu asked.  Mizuki narrowed her eyes at his tone. “ _ Excuse me?! _ ”

Not noticing the threat of death in her eyes, Atsumu forged on, “You can’t just hang out with random guys? How do you know they’re safe to be around?” Osamu echoed his agreement.

Mizuki scoffed, “I’m not a child Atsumu, and you have no right to question or dictate who I hang out with.” She huffed and pushed herself off the ground, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. “They’re my friends, not yours, so frankly I don’t care what you think of it. I’m not having this conversation with you.”

She turned and walked away, leaving a fuming Atsumu staring at her back.

Suna watched her leave then looked at the blonde. As soon as she was out of sight, his shoulders slumped. The fire went out. “I thought you said you were going to apologize.” 

Atsumu was still staring where she had been standing, then in one breath, swiftly turned and walked to his class, leaving him and Osamu staring after him.

. . . 

“You were playing like you were out for blood.” Hana commented.

Mizuki sighed, wiping the sweat from her neck with a towel. “If it’s Atsumu’s, then yeah. I am.” 

Himari raised an eyebrow, “You guys are fighting?” Inwardly, she winced. The last thing she wanted to do is involve the teams in their fight. “It’s nothing. Just a stupid disagreement.” 

Thankfully, they let the subject drop. Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief, and waved goodbye to everyone as she left the locker room to head home. On her way out she spotted the Miya twins leaving the boys locker room to head home, but quickly breezed past them. She was halfway down the familiar path when her phone pinged. 

_ Owls and Fox _

_ Akaashi: [one video attachment] _

Mizuki clicked on the video to see Akaashi attempting to set up the camera.  _ “Is it on?” _ Bokuto asked. His head popped up right behind Akaashi’s. Akaashi grunted, pursing his lips. He was close to the camera, close enough that Mizuki could see every shade of blue in his eyes.  _ “Yeah. Just give me a second.” _ The phone shook once more before it stayed in its position. 

Akaashi took a step back so that both Bokuto and him could be seen. Bokuto grinned at the phone.  _ “Hey Fuji-chan! Here’s that video we promised you.” _ Akaashi added.  _ “This is like the millionth take we’ve done.” “Aghasshi! Why would you tell her that!” “...Gomen.” _

Mizuki laughed at their antics.  _ “Here we go Fuji-chan!”  _ An excited grin slid onto her face. It was hard not to get excited when you were around Bokuto. He was peculiar to say the least, but, even in video form, he had this contagious passion and aura around him that made it impossible not to cheer him on.

Both boys stepped onto the other side court, all traces of mischief wiped off their faces, replaced with serious concentration. The phone was at just the right spot to see where the ball would land. Bokuto bumped the ball for Akaashi, who raised both hands, preparing to toss. 

_ “Give me a good one Akaashi!” _

The setter did a perfect toss, not t0o far, but not too close. Nearing the end of the net. The spiker, in perfect form, pushed off the ground with all the power he had in his strong legs and leapt into the air with one arm back and an arched back. Then with skilled precision that could only be achieved through practice, the spiker slammed his palm against the ball. 

There was a resounding _boom_ ** _!_** when the volleyball hit the floor, just inside the line. 

Immediately, Mizuki pressed the button for a video chat. It rang once and was answered by Bokuto. 

“Fuji-chan!”

“That was an insane line shot! Wooow, that was so awesome. I wish I was there. I'd love to try and dig that, but you and Akaashi are great!” She walked with a small skip in her step. Akaashi’s voice filtered through the phone. “That was all Bokuto-san.” Mizuki scoffed. “Don’t sell yourself short Akaashi, yer a damn good setter, and that spike wouldn’t be possible without you. Right Bokuto-san?” 

“Right!” Was his immediate passionate response.

Mizuki grinned. It was clear that Akaashi had a crazy amount of potential. He just had to be given the time and coaching to polish his skills. Same goes for Boktuo. She couldn’t wait to see where they could be a year from now. “Alright well…” Her voice trailed off as she spotted a familiar silver car sitting in front of their house. 

“Fuji?”

It was rare for her mom to be home in the middle of the day. She usually came home early in the morning or late at night. Never during the day. She vaguely heard her name being called again. Mizuki shook her head. “Um sorry guys. I kind of have to go. Can I call you later?” 

Akaashi asked worriedly, “Is everything okay?” Mizuki was glad they weren’t face timing so her expression wouldn’t give away the lie her voice delivered. “Yeah. My mom’s just home, and I’m gonna spend some time with her.” A pause. “Okay. We’ll talk to you later Fuji-chan.” Bokuto. Then Akaashi. “Bye Fuji.” “Bye.”

The door quietly clicked shut behind Mizuki. Hayami was scrubbing the floors. A fallen container of milk on the counter, and a white puddle on the floor. “What happened? Are you okay Kaa-san?” 

Hayami looked up, her eye bags as prominent as ever. “Yeah. I accidentally knocked over the carton of milk.” Mizuki dumped her bag on the dining table and went to help her clean. “I’ll help.” Together, they silently worked to clean up the mess. Mizuki rung out the milk-filled rag above the sink. “So kaa-san, what’re you doing home so early?” 

Hayami sniffled, “Oh I was just feeling a little feverish at work and decided to come home.” She wiped a bead of perspiration off her forehead, and leaned against the counter like a person would a crutch. Worry bubbled up inside her. Immediately, Mizuki dropped the rag in the sink and went to her mother’s side. She laid a hand against Hayami’s forehead, “Kaa-san, you’re a little warm. Why don’t you sit down? I’ll make you some soup.” 

“You want me to bring your to your room?” 

Mizuki answered absentmindedly, searching for the small pot. “Yes please.”

The sound of footsteps retreating filled her ears, only to hear them return a few minutes later. Mizuki turned to her mother, who was standing on the threshold of the hallway, holding a familiar white envelope. Still she asked. “What’s that?”

Hayami pursed her lips, “A letter. From your father. Why didn’t you read it? Or tell me?” Mizuki retorted, “Because I have nothing to say to him. The letters are all the same kaa-san. I don’t need to talk to him or hear what he has to say.” With glistening eyes, Hayami strode forward and pressed the envelope into her hands. “Read it. He’s still your dad, Mizuki.”

She walked away and her anger towards her father burned brighter. Even in his absence he still found ways to hurt Hayami, even without trying.

> _ Dear Mizuki, _
> 
> _ I’ve missed you. I say it in every letter, but it’s true. You should visit me in the U.S. someday. I’m sure you’d love it here. Maybe just enough to stay.  _
> 
> _ New York City is lively and always on the go. It's a little different from the last city I was in. It’s just as big as Tokyo, yet, it has a different atmosphere to it. Sometimes I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. Though, you’ve always been good at making friends, so I’m sure you wouldn’t have too hard a time transitioning. _
> 
> _ Remember that old recreational center I told you about? Turns out they do have a volleyball team for us old guys. I joined the club and they have a game about every two weeks. It’s not as exciting as what you’ve been up to I’m sure, but in my old age it’s a rush to be back on the court. _
> 
> _ I know my leaving put you in a bad position, but it was something I had to do. I hope you understand that. I may have fallen out of love with Japan and your mother, but I could never fall out of love with you. You’re my daughter.  _
> 
> _ Whenever you’re ready, write back to me. _
> 
> _ Sincerely, _
> 
> _ Dad _

The moon was out. Everyone in the neighborhood was either having a late dinner or heading to bed. But Mizuki couldn’t sleep. Her nose was stuffy making it hard to breathe and her blurry vision made it even harder to see in the dark. Still, she slipped out of her house-her mom, still asleep-with only one destination in mind.

Her dad always ended his letters the same way. A half apology, that ended with him begging for a reply. She wasn’t too sure why he insisted on writing letters. One reason could be because her mom had switched phone numbers when they divorced, the other could be because he wanted a physical copy of her love put on paper. 

The only problem was that Mizuki wasn’t sure if there was any left to give.

She knocked on the door. A minute passed before it opened, Atsumu’s tired eyes blinked rapidly as they set on her.

“Can I come in?” Her voice came out soft.

A heartbeat. Two. Then, wordlessly, he opened the door and stepped aside. Mizuki went in.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's an extra long chapter for you guys. In all honesty, I didn't plan to make it this long but I had an idea of how I wanted the chapter to go and where it would end, and any shorter would have felt rushed.
> 
> I hope you're as frustrated with the Miyas as I am and as endeared by Bokuto and Akaashi too. I hope it's not too OOC, please give me some feedback on them! I'd love to hear what you guys think of how I'm writing them.
> 
> I don't know if anyone noticed but this chapter had a lot of ups and downs. Every time I used a line break it went from happy to sad to happy again. That was on purpose. Situations look bad but there are silver linings. Nothing is permanent. Happiness is fleeting, but so is sadness. Also, you can find happiness in the littlest of things. That's why I named the chapter 'Comfort.' To me, I personally seek comfort when I'm sad, and usually it results in me feeling a little better. There is a before and after of comfort. It has two sides. I wanted to convey all of that in this chapter someway, somehow. I hope it got through. 
> 
> I'm wishing you all the best! Thank you for reading! I hope you continue to stick around!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far. I hope you stick around!


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